Not trying to be negative but my cousin went through all this last year and still lost at the Commissioner level too. Just prepare yourself that you might need to look for other income options. The whole system is designed to deny people benefits its so frustrating!!!

While you're working on your appeal, don't forget to keep applying for jobs and doing your job search activities. If you win the appeal, you'll need to show you were meeting the job search requirements for all those weeks to get paid for them. The system is definitely frustrating, but staying on top of all the requirements will help if you eventually win.

make sure ur bank account info is correct in the system!! my friend had his payment approved but the money went nowhere cuz he had an old account listed

Just to give you some additional peace of mind - the fact that the adjudication status is completely gone (rather than showing 'completed' or 'denied') is the best possible outcome. It means they found nothing that would prevent payment. Your claim has essentially moved to standard processing now. For future reference for anyone reading this thread: the average adjudication period in Washington state is currently running 3-5 weeks for regular UI claims. PUA and PEUC claims are no longer active in 2025.

One more thing to consider - if you're using your 401k to pay bills while job hunting, it might be worth spreading the withdrawals across tax years if we're near year-end. Taking half in December 2025 and half in January 2026 could potentially reduce the tax impact versus taking it all at once. Also, check if your 401k plan allows for hardship withdrawals due to unemployment. Some plans waive the 10% early withdrawal penalty (though you'll still owe income tax).

To summarize what others have said and add some clarity: 1. One-time 401k withdrawals are NOT considered income for unemployment eligibility or benefit calculations 2. 401k withdrawals are different from pension payments (which can affect benefits) 3. During weekly claims, you must report work and earned income, but not 401k withdrawals 4. The financial penalties are significant: 10% early withdrawal penalty + federal income tax (possibly 22-24% depending on your total annual income) Before withdrawing, consider alternatives like unemployment benefits + partial 401k withdrawal, or investigate if your 401k plan offers hardship withdrawals with penalty waivers. Some plans also offer loans against your 401k that may be less costly than full withdrawal.

Update on my earlier comment - I just checked the ESD handbook again and there IS a 4-week standard limit for backdating in most cases, but exceptions can go back further. Definitely include those texts from your boss! And as others have mentioned, expect this to trigger an adjudication investigation where they'll probably contact your former employer to verify your story. Be prepared for this to take several weeks to resolve.

Thanks everyone for the advice! I filed my claim today and requested backdating with all the text evidence I could find. I'm not getting my hopes up for the full period, but maybe I'll get some of it approved. I'll update this thread when I hear back from ESD about their decision.

One thing no one's mentioned yet - make absolutely sure you complete your job search activities during your waiting week (typically 3 per week). Even though you don't get paid for the waiting week, you still need to meet all eligibility requirements including job search activities, or your waiting week won't count and you'll delay your benefits further.

I just remembered something else about my experience... Even though the waiting week is unpaid, I think they still counted my waiting week toward my total benefit year. So if you're approved for 26 weeks of benefits, the waiting week counts as week 1 of those 26, even though you don't get paid for it. At least that's how it worked for me last winter when I was on unemployment. Not sure if that's changed.

Quick update on timing expectations: The Office of Administrative Hearings is currently processing appeals from about 5-6 weeks ago (based on recent client experiences). Once scheduled, your hearing will typically be 2-3 weeks after you receive the notice. If you need to expedite due to financial hardship, there is a process to request an earlier hearing date. You'll need to submit a written request explaining your hardship situation to the OAH. Make sure you're continuing to file your weekly claims during this entire process, even while disqualified and waiting for appeal. If you win your appeal, they can only pay you for weeks that you properly filed claims.

wait im confused... is quitting for school always disqualifying or only sometimes? I'm thinking about going back to school too and now I'm worried about my benefits...

hey did u try calling the technical support number instead of the regular esd number? sometimes they can help with payment issues even tho theyre supposed to only do tech stuff. worth a try!

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at ESD this morning! I ended up using that Claimyr service and got a callback within 30 minutes. The agent found that my payment was stuck because of a "potential availability issue" flag that was never actually resolved during adjudication. She removed it on the spot and said my payments should process in the next 48 hours. I'm cautiously optimistic... I'll post again when/if the money actually hits my account. Thanks for all the advice everyone!

This is totally unrelated to your question but make sure you're filling out your job search log correctly! I was in adjudication for 9 weeks and then got approved but then they randomly audited my job search logs from those weeks and I hadn't kept good enough records! Had to pay back 2 weeks of benefits because of it. Just a heads up since you mentioned it's been 7 weeks already!

One more important thing to know - if your claim is in adjudication specifically because of a job separation issue (like being fired or quitting), then doing gig work won't affect that process at all. The adjudicators are looking at why you left your previous employment, not what you're doing now to get by. So don't worry that DoorDash will somehow complicate things - it won't. Just keep filing your weekly claims accurately, reporting any earnings, and completing your job search requirements while you wait.

anybody else notice that some ppl get through adjudication in like 2 days and others wait months?? its so random!!

UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD this morning! Called exactly at 8:00am and only waited about 20 minutes. The agent confirmed my adjudication is because they're waiting for response from my previous employer (the one before my most recent job). She said they have 10 business days to respond, and that period ends next Tuesday. If they don't respond by then, ESD will make a determination without their input. She also mentioned my current claim looks straightforward since I was laid off due to lack of work. So hopefully I'll see some movement next week! Thanks everyone for the advice and support.

Just an update on current ESD contact practices - as of March 2025, they've implemented a new callback system that *sometimes* works better than waiting on hold. When you call the main number, if you get the option for a callback, definitely take it. Make sure your phone accepts calls from unknown/blocked numbers that day, as that's how they'll appear. Also, I want to clarify something important: do NOT press multiple options rapidly on their menu system. Their new phone system flags that as potential spam/automated calling and can actually block your number temporarily. Press each option deliberately with a slight pause between selections. Lastly, check if your issue can be resolved through the secure message system in your eServices account. For certain issues (not all), they've been responding to messages within 48 hours, which is faster than getting through by phone.

Any luck getting through? Been thinking about your situation and hoping you found a solution!