off topic but has anyone noticed how the esd website is like 10x worse than it was last year? keeps crashing when im trying to file my weekly claim and i have to start all over. so annoying

Quick update question for OP - it's been a few days since your post. Any progress with your claim? Did ESD end up contacting you after the governor's office intervention?

congrats on getting your issue fixed! my claim was stuck for like 3 months last year and i wish i knew about calling the governors office. i just kept calling esd over and over again til i finally got someone helpful. what a waste of time

WHY isn't this information on the ESD website?? They deliberately hide these options because they DON'T WANT TO PAY US. I've been stuck in adjudication for 7 weeks and my car was already repossessed. I'm calling the Governor's office TOMORROW MORNING!!!

Something I forgot to mention earlier - if your appeal is successful, make sure to check your payment history once payments resume. Sometimes ESD misses paying certain weeks or calculates the wrong benefit amount for some weeks. I had to call them to fix two weeks they somehow skipped even though I had filed claims for them. Also, interest does NOT accrue on back payments owed to you, in case you were wondering.

Thanks everyone for the helpful info. I'll definitely keep filing my weekly claims, and I'll plan to contact ESD about 10 business days after the hearing if I don't see any movement. I've been documenting everything carefully, so hopefully that helps if there are any issues. Still worried about making January rent, but at least I have a better idea of the timeline now. I'm going to look into those emergency rental assistance programs just as a backup plan.

I used Claimyr last week when I was in a similar situation (not disqualified but stuck in adjudication forever) and got through to ESD in about 15 minutes. The agent was able to see that there was a flag on my account that needed to be removed. Much better than spending days trying to call them directly.

UPDATE: I managed to get through to ESD today (after trying Claimyr - totally worth it). The agent confirmed my employer incorrectly reported that I quit. She put notes on my account and advised me to continue with my appeal. She said the appeal should be successful since I have documentation, but it will still take several weeks to process. For anyone facing similar issues - KEEP FILING YOUR WEEKLY CLAIMS even while disqualified! The agent emphasized this multiple times. Also, check your correspondence tab regularly for any letters requiring action. Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I'll update when my appeal is resolved.

also btw they ask if ur job is permanent when u file each week so make sure u mark YES since u got hired full time even if its not 40 hrs. my friend marked NO cuz she was on probation period and got flagged for review!!

One more important thing - if your hours increase to 40+ per week or your pay increases, make sure you still report that for your weekly claims. Technically, your claim stays open for a year from when you first applied, but once you have those 4 consecutive weeks over your WBA, it goes inactive. You can always reactivate it within that year if your hours get cut or something changes with your job.

For anyone else experiencing this situation, here's what's happening: When ESD approves an overpayment waiver, two things occur: 1. The remaining balance of your overpayment is forgiven (reduced to zero) 2. Any money you already paid toward that overpayment is refunded to you The refund typically processes through ESD's payment system before the determination letter is generated by their notification system. This creates a situation where claimants often receive money before they receive an explanation. If you can't access your online account, it's likely because your claim status has changed, which sometimes triggers a security protocol requiring re-verification. You can request a new access code by mail through the SAW (Secure Access Washington) system. To confirm your waiver status without waiting for the letter, call ESD at 800-318-6022. Current wait times are extremely long (1-3 hours), so call early in the morning right when they open at 8:00 AM.

I forgot to mention - check your spam/junk mail folder! My determination letter got caught in my email spam filter. Also, after I finally got through to ESD, my online account started working again about 48 hours later. Apparently they have to manually reset something after a waiver approval.

The ESD system is COMPLETELY BROKEN for trades and seasonal workers!!! I spent 6 weeks trying to get my benefits approved during my last training period and then they wanted all kinds of additional documentation that wasn't listed anywhere on their website. By the time it was approved, my training was almost over. Make sure you start this process EARLY and document EVERYTHING. Take screenshots of every page you submit, record the names of every ESD agent you talk to, and follow up constantly. The system is designed to make you give up!!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I'm going to: 1. File my initial claim at the start of Christmas break 2. Complete my waiting week during that time 3. Do the required job searches during the Christmas break period 4. Request the Training Benefits application for my February apprenticeship training 5. Get documentation from my training coordinator about the mandatory nature of the training 6. Keep detailed records of everything I submit I really appreciate all the insights and warnings about potential pitfalls. This community has been super helpful!

UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD this morning! The agent confirmed this was definitely an error. Apparently there was a glitch in their system where some letters for claims filed in January 2025 had the delivery addresses mixed up. She flagged my account to make sure future communications come directly to me and said they're aware of the issue and working on fixing it systemwide. She also noted that while employers do get notified about claims and some general determination info, they shouldn't be receiving my detailed claim correspondence. She's escalating this as a privacy concern to their IT department. Thanks everyone for your help and confirming I wasn't overreacting about this!

wait but did u ever get the actual info that was supposed to be in the letter?? like was it important or just general stuff?

This timing difference is actually normal with ACH transfers. First payments are often processed differently (sometimes as a test transaction) than subsequent payments. What's happening is that ESD has initiated the payment, but it's still in the banking system pipeline. Few things to be aware of: 1. Most banks don't process ACH transfers on weekends or holidays 2. Some banks hold deposits for 24-48 hours before showing them as pending 3. ESD processes payments in batches, not individually If it's been less than 3 business days, I wouldn't worry yet. If it goes longer than that, then you should contact ESD to verify the payment was properly processed. You can check your payment history in eServices under "UI Claim" and look at the Payments tab to see the exact date it was processed.

Quick update - my payment from Monday just hit my account this morning. It took exactly 2 business days as others have mentioned. Hope yours comes through soon!

My sister works for ESD (not speaking officially obvs) and she says ppl get confused about this all the time. The 6x rule is real but its actually about "requalifying" after you've already received benefits in your benefit year and had a break in your claim. For a totally new benefit year after your old one expired, its all about the 680 hrs in your base year. Also if your hours got reduced, def look into partial unemployment! You can sometimes get benefits if you're working part time depending on how much you earn compared to your weekly benefit amount.

Thanks everyone for the responses! Just to update - I called ESD (used that Claimyr service someone mentioned and got through in about 35 minutes). The agent confirmed I need BOTH the 680 hours AND earnings of at least 6x my previous weekly benefit amount. She checked my records and said I've earned enough to meet the 6x requirement but I'm still about 120 hours short of the 680 hours. So I'll need to keep working for another month or so before I can file a new claim. She also said I might qualify for partial unemployment now since my hours were cut significantly, but I'd need to file a new claim to find out for sure. I'm going to stick it out a bit longer to hit that 680 hour mark first.