lol at everyone giving complicated tips. let me tell u what REALLY happens - ESD doesn't care if u get evicted. they take forever ON PURPOSE so people give up. my cousin works for DSHS and says the whole system is designed to be frustrating. the only thing that works is being a SQUEAKY WHEEL. call Every. Single. Day. use claimyr if u have to. email them constantly. message them on twitter publicly. contact ur rep. make noise until they deal with u just to shut u up. sad but true.

UPDATE: I wanted to thank everyone for their advice! I tried several approaches simultaneously: 1. Used Claimyr this morning and got through to an agent in about 15 minutes 2. Asked for the hardship expedited review 3. Also emailed my state rep The agent I spoke with was actually really helpful. She said my claim was flagged because my former employer didn't respond to their initial inquiry (typical). She submitted an expedited review request based on my hardship situation and said I should hear something within 72 hours. I'll update again when I know more, but I'm feeling much more optimistic now that I at least know what's happening. Thanks again for all your help!

After dealing with the ESD system for months during my own unemployment, I can tell you their payment processing is reliable but not instant. The most frustrating part is actually reaching someone at ESD if you do have an issue. I spent days trying to get through on their phone lines when I had a payment problem. Finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me connect with an ESD agent quickly. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 that shows how it works. Saved me tons of time when I needed to sort out why my payment was delayed. That said, your situation sounds normal - first payments typically take 2-3 business days to show up after the ESD system marks them paid.

Just checking back - did your payment arrive yet? If it's been more than 3 business days, you might want to verify that your banking information is correct in your ESD account.

did u check ur determination letter?? sometimes they give u a specific reason why they disqualified u and it might help with ur appeal

That's actually GOOD news for your appeal! Now you know exactly what to focus on - proving the potential harm (harassment = emotional harm, food safety = physical harm to you and customers) AND getting evidence that contradicts your employer's version. This is why those coworker statements will be super important. One more tip - at the hearing, if your employer says something that's not true, don't interrupt or get emotional. Just write it down and when it's your turn to speak, calmly say "I'd like to address the statement about X. That's not accurate because..." and then provide your evidence. Judges really appreciate this approach!

Update for everyone: ESD just posted on their Twitter account that they're experiencing technical difficulties with the weekly claims filing system. They expect it to be resolved by 8pm tonight. They apologize for the inconvenience and confirm this won't affect benefit payments as long as you file before the weekly deadline (Saturday at 11:59pm).

I just tried again and it's working for me now! Looks like they fixed it earlier than expected. You might want to try again.

To directly address your question: File your claim immediately. According to ESD rules, your claim will be effective the Sunday of the week you file. The waiting week is the first week you're eligible for benefits (meet all eligibility requirements including job searches) after your claim is processed. So if you file today, and there are no issues requiring adjudication, your waiting week would likely be this current week. You won't receive benefits for the waiting week, but you must complete job search activities and file a weekly claim for it. There's absolutely no advantage to delaying your application. Only disadvantages as it pushes back when you might receive benefits.

btw the esd website says u need these for job search activities: in-person visit, virtual job fair, job application, interviews, resume submission, workshop, civil service test....i think there's more but those r the main ones they look for