Washington Unemployment
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Weekly claims keep getting disqualified with no explanation from ESD - no way to appeal!
I'm at my wit's end with ESD! I filed my initial claim 6 weeks ago and have diligently submitted my weekly claims with all required job search activities. At first, the system showed 'Pending Adjudication' which seemed normal. Then I received an eligibility letter stating my weekly benefit amount ($625), which still shows under my Benefits tab. But here's the bizarre part - there's absolutely NOTHING listed under Pending Issues, Decisions, Letters, Notices, or Alerts. Yet somehow, ESD keeps disqualifying each of my weekly claims without explanation! I can't even appeal because there's no formal decision to appeal against. How am I supposed to know why my claims are being rejected when there's zero communication about it? I've tried calling at least 30 times over the past few weeks but either get disconnected or told the queue is full. Is anyone else experiencing this weird limbo state? Any suggestions on how to get an actual human to review my situation?
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Can I visit ESD office in person for overpayment letter and tax document help?
I'm at my wits end trying to get this overpayment issue resolved! We received an overpayment letter last month saying we owe $4,700 back to ESD, but there's definitely a mistake. My husband was laid off from construction work and qualified for everything. Now they're saying he wasn't eligible?? On top of that, the tax document (1099-G I think?) we got shows a much higher amount than he actually received in benefits. We've been calling EVERY DAY for 3 weeks and either get disconnected or sit on hold until the office closes. Has anyone had success just walking into an actual ESD office? Is that even allowed in 2025? I'm located in Tacoma and willing to drive anywhere in western WA at this point. I just need to talk to a real human who can fix this before we get sent to collections!
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ESD is such a joke in this state. they take MONTHS to review anything then demand you pay back thousands with barely any notice. the whole system is designed to frustrate people into giving up. and don't get me started on their "improved" website that crashes every other day.
So true! My cousin works for the state (not ESD) and she says they're severely understaffed. Apparently they lost like 40% of their experienced staff after COVID and haven't been able to replace them. Not excusing it, but explains why everything takes forever now.
Whatever you do, make sure you keep responding to the overpayment notice even if you can't reach anyone by phone. I ignored mine thinking I'd get it sorted out later and they ended up garnishing my tax return without warning! The 1099-G issue is less urgent but still important to fix before next tax season. I'd recommend a dual approach: 1. Schedule the in-person appointment as others suggested 2. Submit a formal appeal through eServices immediately 3. Contact your state representative (seriously - this worked for me when nothing else did) Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
Thank you for the warning about garnishment! I definitely don't want that to happen. I've submitted the appeal through eServices today and scheduled an appointment for next week (earliest available). I've never contacted my state rep before - did you just call their office?
Yes, I called my state representative's office and explained the situation. Their staff took my information and said they'd reach out to their ESD liaison. Within a week, I got a call directly from someone at ESD who had reviewed my case. Representatives often have dedicated contacts at agencies that can help constituents with problems that seem impossible to resolve through normal channels.
ESD direct deposit delayed this week - normal Wednesday deposits arriving Friday instead?
Is anyone else experiencing delays with their unemployment deposits this week? I've been claiming for 2 months now and my routine has been clockwork - file my weekly claim Sunday morning online, money hits my account early Wednesday. But last week was totally different! Did everything exactly the same way at the same time, but my deposit didn't show up until FRIDAY morning! No explanation or messages in my eServices account. Tried calling ESD yesterday but couldn't get through after 45 minutes on hold. Is this happening to others or should I be worried something's wrong with my claim? Has ESD changed their processing schedule? I need to plan for bills and my landlord isn't exactly understanding about late rent...
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hey my sister works at esd and she said theyve been having system issues this week with the direct deposit system. something about a software update gone wrong. should be back to normal next week
thnx for insider info!! wish theyd tell us this stuff instead of making us wonder
ESD claim stuck in adjudication for 5+ weeks with no contact - UPDATE: finally approved!
My husband's unemployment claim has been showing 'pending, adjudication in process' since 9/6/24 (over 5 weeks now!), but we haven't received ANY paperwork or requests for more information. Is this normal? I'm trying to understand what 'adjudication' actually means here - is it just their normal review process, or does it mean his former employer disputed something? The ESD handbook says employers have 10 days to respond to claims, so I'm confused why we'd still be in adjudication after 5+ weeks with zero communication. Our savings are almost gone, and I'm starting to panic about November bills. Has anyone experienced this long of a wait with no contact from ESD? Any suggestions on what we should do? UPDATE 10/15: Just received the approval letter today! All back weeks have been paid to our bank account. Thank god it came through just in time. Thanks to everyone who offered advice through this stressful waiting period.
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one thing im confused abt - i thought adjudication was only when theres a problem? why would they put u in adjudication if they ended up approving u without asking for more info? esd makes no sense sometimes lol
Common misconception. Adjudication doesn't always mean there's a problem that requires claimant action. It can simply mean ESD needs to verify information internally or is waiting on employer responses. Many claims go through adjudication and get approved without the claimant ever needing to provide additional documentation.
The real frustration is that they expect US to meet all their deadlines for weekly claims and job search activities, but THEY can take as long as they want with no communication or accountability. It's a completely one-sided system.
EXACTLY THIS!!! Miss one day on your weekly claim and they can deny everything, but they can sit on our claims for months while we can't pay rent. The double standard is infuriating.
Just got job offer starting 8/19 - can I still collect ESD benefits until start date?
I'm super relieved to have finally landed a job after searching for almost 4 months! It's a marketing coordinator position with better benefits than my last job. The only thing is my start date isn't until August 19th, which is about 2 weeks away. Does anyone know if I'll still be eligible to claim unemployment for these next two weeks before I start working? I've been reporting my job search activities faithfully every week and don't want to mess anything up now that I'm so close to being employed again. Do I need to report the job offer on my weekly claim? Will ESD cut off my benefits immediately once I report I have a job lined up, even though I won't be getting paid until late August? I really need the money to cover bills until my first paycheck comes through.
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wait so we r supposed to still do the 3 job search things even if we already got a job??? that seems so pointless, why would i look for more jobs when i already accepted one?? the esd system makes no sense smh
Yeah it's totally dumb but those are the rules... I actually just did really basic activities like checking linkedin job boards and calling a couple places that I knew weren't hiring just to check off the boxes lol. Not like they check very thoroughly unless you get audited
My sister had a similar situation but her benefits got cut off immediately when she reported accepting a job, even though it didn't start for almost a month! She had to appeal and it was a huge mess. I think it depends on which ESD agent processes your claim tbh. Some follow the rules exactly, others make up their own interpretations.
That shouldn't have happened - it sounds like either there was a misunderstanding when she reported the job, or possibly a system error. The official ESD policy is clear that benefits continue until you start working as long as you maintain eligibility. If anyone experiences their benefits being cut off prematurely after reporting a future start date, they should immediately contact ESD for clarification and correction.
Natasha Petrova
After reading your responses, I think your best bet is to get on the phone with an actual agent. They can see things in their system that don't show up in the portal. And since you've already sent multiple secure messages without response, calling is really your only option. I'd try early morning (right when they open) or try the Claimyr service mentioned above. Please update us when you figure out what's going on - this data point might help others facing similar issues.
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Oliver Fischer
AuthorYou're right - I need to get an actual person on the phone. I'll try at 8am sharp tomorrow and if that doesn't work, I'll look into the Claimyr option. Thanks everyone for your help! I'll definitely update when I figure this out.
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Oliver Fischer
UPDATE: Finally got through to ESD this morning! Turns out there was a flag on my account because my former employer contested my eligibility (even though I was laid off). The weird thing is this wasn't showing ANYWHERE in my online account. The agent removed the flag, approved all my weeks, and said I should receive payment for everything within 48 hours. She also added a note so my future weekly claims shouldn't have this problem. What a relief!
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Javier Morales
awesome!! glad u got it fixed!!
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