Based on everything you've described, this sounds like what's called an "adjudication hold" without proper notification. Some claims get randomly selected for additional verification, and yours might be one of them. Unfortunately, the only real solution is making contact with an ESD claims specialist. I'd recommend a multi-pronged approach: 1. Continue attempting to call ESD directly 2. Contact your state representative as suggested above 3. Send a secure message through the eServices portal (they're supposed to respond within 5-7 business days) 4. If your husband's employer has an HR department, ask if they can help by verifying any information ESD might need For the phone approach, try calling the main line at exactly 7:00am, and if that doesn't work, try around 4:30pm. Some people have had success with the technical support line and then asking to be transferred to claims. Once he gets through, make sure to request retroactive payment for all weeks in pending status. They should process everything at once once the hold is lifted.

Just wanted to follow up - did your husband have any luck with the state rep approach? My sister used Claimyr (the service I mentioned before) because she tried calling for weeks and couldn't get through. The regular phone method just seems impossible right now with how backed up ESD is. Whatever works though! I hope he gets his money soon.

Based on everything you've shared, it sounds like your claim is almost certainly in adjudication due to the severance payment. Here's what I recommend: 1. Continue filing your weekly claims on time, even if you're not getting paid yet 2. Document all your job search activities meticulously 3. Try calling ESD at the moment they open (typically 8:00 AM) as that's when you have the best chance of getting through 4. If you can't reach them by phone after several attempts, consider sending a secure message through your online account specifically asking about the severance review status The good news is that once they resolve the adjudication, you should receive all back payments for the weeks you've claimed, assuming you're found eligible. The waiting is definitely stressful, but stay proactive about following up.

when i filed back in november it took almost 9 weeks to get paid!!! i called like 50 times and either got busy signals or was on hold for hours just to get disconnected. the whole system is a joke. but at least when they finally paid me they gave me everything backpaid so i wasn't completely screwed. just completely stressed out for 2 months lol

Have you considered part-time work options? Sometimes you can find a higher-paying part-time position in your field (even 20-25 hours) that pays more than a full-time job in a different industry. The medical field usually has more flexible options than IT, but both industries do have contract and part-time work. This could be a better stopgap than taking a full-time position with a massive pay cut.\n\nAlso, Washington has a Shared Work program for employers, so sometimes looking specifically at companies participating in that program might lead to opportunities that could later become full-time.

That's a really good point about part-time specialized work potentially paying more than full-time lower-skilled work. I hadn't thought about that angle. I've seen some remote medical coding/billing positions with flexible hours, so I'll expand my search to include those options. My spouse has started looking at IT gig work too. Thanks for the perspective shift!

my brother went thru same thing last year. he had like 2 months of backpay and it took about 10 days after adjudicaiton finished. something about large payments needing extra approval i think

Did your money arrive yet? I'm in the same situation now and wondering how long I'll be waiting 😩

Has anyone received an actual timeline from ESD recently? Every time I call they give different answers. First they said 6 weeks, then 10 weeks, then "we can't say" - complete runaround and it's impossible to budget or plan when you have no idea when you might get money!

Quick update to my earlier comment - I just checked with a colleague who works with appeals cases. The current average for scheduling "able and available" appeals is about 9 weeks, but they are trying to expedite cases where it was clearly a form error rather than an actual availability issue. Make sure when you call OAH that you emphasize this was simply checking the wrong box, not an actual limitation on your ability to work. That might help get your case prioritized.