Washington Unemployment
CommunityGovernment Services
Can't reach Washington Unemployment? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the ESD
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the ESD drops your call
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
ESD claim showing 'disqualified' with no explanation - can't reach anyone for help
I filed for unemployment about 2 weeks ago and spent ages making sure I answered everything correctly on the application. But when I check my claim status, it just says 'disqualified' with absolutely no explanation why! I've tried calling ESD at least 15 times over the past week but either get disconnected immediately or sit on hold forever before getting hung up on. I've also sent 3 messages through eServices but haven't heard anything back. My rent is due in 10 days and I'm seriously freaking out. Has anyone else dealt with a random disqualification? Is there any secret way to actually talk to a human being at ESD? This is so frustrating!
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How to properly stop ESD benefits after getting a new job?
OMG I'm sooo excited!!! After 3 months of searching I finally got hired at a medical office!! Starting orientation tomorrow morning and I'm both nervous and relieved. Quick question though - what's the proper process for ending my unemployment benefits? Do I just stop filing weekly claims or is there something specific I need to do on the ESD website? Do I need to notify them officially somewhere? Don't want to mess anything up and get hit with an overpayment later!
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One more important tip: If you've been on unemployment for a while, remember you'll need to adjust your tax withholding with your new employer. Many people forget this transition and end up owing at tax time because unemployment often doesn't withhold enough. Make sure to fill out your W-4 carefully during orientation!
That's such a good point! I actually didn't have any taxes withheld from my unemployment (needed every penny) so I definitely need to make sure my withholding is set correctly. Will pay extra attention to the W-4 tomorrow. Thank you!
ESD adjudication stuck for 4 weeks with zero updates - anyone else waiting this long?
I've been in adjudication limbo with ESD for 4 weeks now and I'm getting seriously worried. My claim shows 'pending adjudication' but there's been zero movement or communication from them. The last thing I got was that auto-generated email saying my claim needed additional review. I was laid off from my restaurant management job after our location closed, and I've been submitting my weekly claims faithfully but still no payments. I've called the ESD hotline at least 15 times - either get disconnected or told the wait is 4+ hours. Tried sending messages through eServices but no response there either. Bills are piling up and my savings are almost gone. My rent is due next week and I don't know what I'll do if this doesn't resolve soon. For anyone who's been through adjudication recently - how long did yours take before you got an actual decision? Is 4 weeks normal or should I be more concerned at this point? I'm seriously losing sleep over this.
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My friend who works at WorkSource told me that if you go into a WorkSource office in person, sometimes they can check on your claim status or at least give you more info than you can see online. Might be worth trying that route too!
This is good advice. WorkSource offices can't directly adjudicate claims, but they often have direct communication channels with ESD and can sometimes see notes on your account that aren't visible to you through eServices. They can also help identify if there's something specific holding up your claim.
Just wanted to update everyone that after my 6-week adjudication nightmare, I finally got approved last week. For me, what ultimately worked was persistently calling first thing when they open at 8:00 AM. I called exactly at 8:00 three days in a row and finally got through on the third day. The agent was able to see that my claim was just sitting there with no issues, but nobody had been assigned to review it. She escalated it and I got approved two days later. So if you can manage to get through to someone, it might help speed things up.
Congrats on getting approved! I'll try the 8:00 AM approach starting tomorrow. It's frustrating that the only way to get movement is to somehow break through their impossible phone system, but I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point.
ESD Approval Changed to Paid But Weekly Claim Option Missing - What Now?
So FINALLY after waiting for what felt like forever, my status changed from pending to paid yesterday! Such a relief to see that money should be on its way. But now I'm confused about something... Usually I can log in on the weekend (Saturday/Sunday) and submit my weekly claim where I also enter all my job search activities. I've been doing this religiously every week while waiting for approval. But I just checked my eServices account and there's no option to file a weekly claim anywhere? The little section where I normally click to file is just... gone? Do I not have to submit weekly claims anymore now that I'm approved? Or is this a glitch in the system? Has this happened to anyone else? I don't want to miss filing and lose benefits when I just got approved!
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Just to confirm - you should be able to see your previous weekly claims in the system. Look for "Weekly Claims" or "Weekly Claim History" in the menu. You should see all previous claims with their status. This can help you verify your normal filing pattern and confirm which weeks you've already claimed. Your filing day is determined by ESD and generally doesn't change, but the approval process can sometimes cause temporary system adjustments.
I just checked my claim history and all my previous weekly claims are showing correctly up through last week. So it definitely seems like this week's claim option is what's missing. I'll keep checking as others have suggested.
Hey, just checking back - did your weekly claim option ever reappear? Mine came back after about 40 hours, right before I was about to call ESD in a panic!
Yes! You were right! The option showed up again this morning. Looks like it was just a temporary glitch while the system processed my approval. Thanks everyone for the help and preventing me from panicking too much!
Can I bring a lawyer to my ESD unemployment appeal hearing without prior notice?
Just got my appeal hearing scheduled with ESD after being disqualified for supposedly not searching for work properly (even though I absolutely did!). Quick question - does anyone know if I can bring a lawyer who can speak on my behalf during the appeal? I didn't see anywhere in the hearing notice where I need to notify them about bringing legal representation. Do I need to let them know ahead of time, or can my lawyer just show up with me? This is my first time going through this process and I'm already stressed about the whole situation. Any advice is appreciated!
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Have you tried just getting through to ESD directly to discuss this? Maybe there's a way to resolve it before the hearing? I had an issue with job search requirements last year and was able to clear it up by talking to an agent.
I've never heard of this before. Has anyone else used this service successfully? Might be worth trying before my hearing date.
I've recommended it to several clients who had good experiences. It doesn't guarantee ESD will resolve your issue, but it does get you through to an actual person much faster than calling directly.
I think everyone here is missing an important point - you need to bring evidence that you actually did your job searches properly! What documentation do you have? The judge will want to see SPECIFIC evidence like: names of companies, dates of applications, contact information, method of application, etc. THAT is what will win your case, not just having a lawyer there.
I've kept detailed records of everything - company names, position titles, application dates, confirmation emails, even follow-up communications. I have a spreadsheet plus screenshots. I'm hoping this will be enough to prove I met the requirements.
That's perfect! Make sure all of that is organized chronologically and bring at least 3 copies of everything (one for you, one for the judge, one for ESD's representative). With good documentation like that and a lawyer to help present it effectively, you have a strong case.
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One more important tip: While waiting for your appeal or correction, make sure you're meeting the job search requirements each week (3 job search activities). Document everything carefully in your job search log. Even though your claims show as disqualified now, if the disqualification is overturned, they'll check that you were meeting all other requirements during that time.
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Dmitry Popov
AuthorThank you for the reminder! I've been applying to jobs but wasn't keeping detailed records. I'll start documenting everything properly now.
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Ava Garcia
update us when u get through to someone! im having similar problems and want to know if that claimyr thing actually works
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Dmitry Popov
AuthorWill do! I'm going to try multiple approaches - the Claimyr service, contacting HR, and continuing with my appeal. I'll post back when I get some resolution. This community has been so helpful!
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