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ESD adjudication stuck since March - need Gov office number to expedite claim
I've been pulling my hair out waiting for my unemployment claim to process! Filed on March 12th and it's been sitting in adjudication for almost 7 weeks now. My savings are basically gone and rent is coming up fast. I keep seeing comments from people who somehow got their claims expedited by contacting the Governor's office, but nobody ever shares the actual process or number to call. Can anyone who's successfully done this PLEASE share: - The number you called - What exactly you said to get them to help - How long it took after you contacted them I've called ESD about 40 times but just get the 'high call volume' message and disconnected. I've sent messages through the portal but zero response. Getting desperate here and would really appreciate any help!
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How to properly stop ESD benefits after finding a job?
Just got hired full-time starting next Monday (finally!!!) after 3 months on unemployment. What's the proper way to stop my benefits when I start working? Do I just stop filing weekly claims or is there some official way to close my claim with ESD? Don't want to accidentally get overpaid and then have to deal with repaying them later. Also wondering if I should still file for this partial week since I worked 0 hours? Any guidance appreciated!
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When I got a job after being on unemployment for 6 months, I just stopped filing claims. Years later I found out that was a bad idea because my claim wasn't properly closed and ESD thought I might have been working while collecting benefits. They did an investigation and everything. Definitely follow the proper process!
Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! To summarize what I'll do: 1. File my claim for this week normally since I haven't started working yet 2. File next week's claim and answer YES to the question about returning to full-time work 3. Report my start date correctly as 5/15/2025 4. Update my WorkSource profile to show I'm employed I appreciate all the warnings about what NOT to do too - definitely helps me avoid potential problems!
Sounds like you've got it all covered! And congratulations again on the new job!
Denied unemployment because of 'quitting for personal reasons' when I quit to care for spouse after surgery
Has anyone else dealt with being wrongfully denied benefits after quitting for caregiving reasons? Here's my nightmare timeline: I quit my job in December 2025 because my husband needed care after open heart surgery. My employer refused to let me work remotely during his recovery period (first two weeks were full-time care, then just needed someone in the house for emergencies and driving to follow-ups). Filed my initial claim on 12/10/25. Got a request for more separation info on 12/16 and completed it in the portal the next day. After hearing nothing for weeks, I messaged them on 1/3/26 asking if they needed anything else. The status changed to 'pending adjudication' on 1/4. I sent two more messages between January and mid-February with ZERO response. Finally on 2/14, I called the Governor's office (tip from another forum post). Was on hold 20 minutes, and they immediately asked if it was about unemployment - obviously they're getting flooded with these calls! Two hours later, I finally got a message about my 'Request for Assistance' saying my claim was assigned to an adjudicator. Status updated to 'pending adjudication' with a 2/14/26 date. This morning I woke up to a denial saying I "quit for personal reasons"! I NEVER said that anywhere in my application or follow-up info. I clearly stated I quit because my employer wouldn't accommodate my husband's medical needs. I've filed an appeal but now have to wait for a hearing. My employer isn't even contesting the claim! I'm beyond frustrated. I should qualify under care for an immediate family member, but I technically qualify under 3 other good cause reasons too. Has anyone successfully appealed something like this?
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This is so frustrating! Something similar happened to me, though in my case it was quitting due to hostile work environment. The adjudicator completely misrepresented what I said. I wonder if they're overwhelmed and rushing through claims? One tip for your hearing - when I had mine, I wrote up a very clear timeline with dates and submitted it beforehand. The judge specifically mentioned how helpful that was. Be super concise about why you HAD to quit (no other options) and focus on the fact that caring for family with serious health needs is explicitly covered under good cause provisions. Also, start claiming weeks again right away if you haven't been. If you win the appeal, they'll only pay for weeks you've claimed, not automatically for the whole period. Found that out the hard way!
Thank you for the timeline suggestion! I'll definitely do that. And yes, I've continued filing weekly claims even after the denial just in case. Did you win your appeal? How long did the whole process take?
Yes, I won! The whole thing took about 7 weeks from filing the appeal to getting the decision. The hearing itself was pretty straightforward - about 45 minutes total. The judge was much more reasonable than the adjudicator. I got backpay for all the weeks I'd claimed once the decision was final. Sending good vibes your way - it's stressful but stay persistent!
I just reread your post and noticed you mentioned qualifying under 3 other reasons too - what were those? Might be helpful for others to know all the valid quit reasons!
Good question! Besides the family care reason, I also had: 1. Significant deterioration in work environment (they cut our team in half but expected same output) 2. Substantial reduction in hours (they reduced me from 40 to 28 hours right before I quit) 3. Workplace safety issues (building had black mold they refused to properly remediate) I focused on the family care reason because it was the most immediate trigger for my resignation, but any of these are valid "good cause" reasons under WA law. I'll mention all of them at the hearing just to strengthen my case.
Will quitting a union job with reduced hours for more work elsewhere affect ESD eligibility?
My husband is in the electrical workers union and his hours were just cut from 40 to about 15-20 per week (they're calling it a 'temporary slowdown' but who knows how long it'll last). He found a non-union job that can give him full-time hours starting next week. If he quits the union position to take this other job, will ESD consider that a voluntary quit without good cause? Or does the severe reduction in hours qualify as good cause to quit? He's worried about how this might affect future unemployment claims if the new job doesn't work out. Has anyone dealt with something similar? The union benefits are better but we can't survive on half a paycheck right now.
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Tried calling ESD to ask this exact same question last month when my hours got cut. Spent DAYS trying to get through just to have them hang up on me when I finally reached a person. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an ESD agent in about 20 minutes. They have this video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. The agent confirmed that substantial reduction in hours (25% or more) is good cause for quitting. Worth checking out if you want direct confirmation from ESD about your husband's specific situation.
Thanks for the tip! I might try that service if we run into any issues. Right now it seems pretty clear from everyone's responses that he's in the clear with the hours reduction being so significant.
One more thing to remember - since your husband is going directly to new employment, this might never even become an issue unless he files for unemployment that includes that union employer in his base year. When you file for unemployment, ESD looks at your work history for the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters. So if he works at the new job for a while before ever needing to file, the union job might not even be in his base year calculation.
That's a good point I hadn't considered. Hopefully the new job works out long-term and this never becomes an issue. But it's good to know we're covered if something happens and he needs to file in the future.
Won ESD commissioner appeal - how do I claim backpayments owed?
Just got a letter from the Commissioner's Office that COMPLETELY changed everything! After losing my initial appeal with ESD about being fired (my manager said it was misconduct but it wasn't), I appealed to the Commissioner's Review Office as a last resort. The letter says they reversed the decision and found in my favor!!! The letter states 'the separation was not attributable to the claimant' and that I'm eligible for benefits. Now I'm confused about what happens next? Do I need to call ESD to get my backpay for all those months? It's been almost 5 months of fighting this and I'm owed around $14,700. Does anyone know the next steps after winning a commissioner appeal? Will they automatically send the money or do I need to do something specific?
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wait do u need to kep doing job serch after winning appeal? i thought once u win u just get paid automatically?
You still need to meet all eligibility requirements for each week you're claiming, including job search activities (unless you had an approved standby status). The commissioner's decision just establishes that the separation from employment wasn't your fault, but you still need to satisfy all other eligibility requirements.
UPDATE: I called ESD this morning and finally got through after being on hold for 2.5 hours! The agent confirmed they received the Commissioner's decision and are processing it. They're allowing me to backfile for all the weeks I missed, but I have to answer the job search questions for each week. She said I should see the payments within 7-10 business days. Thanks everyone for your help and advice!
Wow, only 2.5 hours? You got lucky! Make sure to check your account daily and call back if you don't see the payments posted by the date they promised. They told me 7-10 days too and it took 3 weeks plus multiple calls...
Zara Shah
lol good luck, system is totally broken. i waited 11 weeks last year and never got a single callback. ended up giving up and finding a job instead. whole things a joke
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Chloe Harris
That's awful! But it really does depend on your claim circumstances. My first claim went through in 2 weeks with no issues. My second one (after a temporary job ended) got stuck in adjudication because my employer contested it. That's when I had to use the Governor's office to get movement.
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Anastasia Popova
One thing nobody mentioned - if your claim is in adjudication, make absolutely sure you're still filing your weekly claims on time! If you miss weekly claims during the adjudication period, even if you eventually get approved, you won't get paid for those missed weeks. I learned this the hard way and lost out on about $2,800 because I thought "what's the point of filing if I'm still in adjudication?" Big mistake.
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Omar Farouk
AuthorYes, definitely still filing my weekly claims! Thanks for the reminder though - that would be devastating to miss out on backpay after all this waiting.
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