UPDATE: I followed the advice here and found the \

Perfect! You should be all set now. Glad you found what you needed!

My freind had same problem and she said if u call right at 7:00am exactly when they open you might get thru. she had to try like 5 days in a row but finally got a person. its ridiculous we have to jump thru all these hoops just to get our benifits!!!!

One important update based on your situation: If your employer is claiming they let you go for misconduct when it was actually a layoff, you need to appeal immediately if you get a denial. You only have 30 days from the date of the determination notice to file an appeal. While you're waiting, make sure you continue filing weekly claims every week without fail, even while in adjudication. Otherwise, you could lose benefits for those weeks even if your claim is eventually approved. The WorkSource offices can sometimes help get your issues escalated too. They have direct contacts with ESD that regular claimants don't have access to.

One important thing to know - if you exhaust your 16 weeks of regular UI and still haven't found work, you might qualify for Extended Benefits (EB) if the unemployment rate is high enough. Though currently Washington's unemployment rate isn't triggering EB. You should also check if you're eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) if your job was affected by foreign trade or outsourcing. TAA provides additional weeks of benefits while you train for a new career. Also, make sure you're using WorkSource resources for your job search - they can help with finding openings in your field faster.

After reading through all the comments, it sounds like you should: 1. Double-check your monetary determination letter to make sure all your employers and quarters are listed correctly 2. Try calling ESD to verify if there might be any errors (the Claimyr service someone mentioned could help get through) 3. If everything is correct, understand that 16 weeks is what you qualify for based on your work history 4. Start job searching immediately rather than waiting 5. Connect with WorkSource for additional job search help The calculation method others explained makes sense - your 6-week gap definitely affected your total weeks. And unfortunately, no, you can't appeal just to get more weeks unless there's an actual error in your work history or wage record.

Just curious - is anyone else noticing that ESD seems more willing to waive pandemic overpayments than regular UI overpayments? My cousin and I both had overpayments (mine from regular UI in 2025, hers from PUA in 2020) and she got hers waived easily while I'm still fighting mine.

Update: I submitted my waiver request yesterday with TONS of documentation. I included a very detailed explanation of how I misunderstood the reporting requirements during the pandemic and provided bank statements showing I have less than $500 to my name right now. Fingers crossed! Thanks everyone for the advice and I'll post again when I hear back from ESD.

Yay!! So happy for u! 🎉 It's crazy how something so simple took so long to fix!

Great news! Make sure you keep documentation of everything just in case there are any future issues. And don't forget to complete your weekly claims while receiving benefits.

One thing no one mentioned - check if you have any pending issues on your claim. Log into your eServices account and look under

Just checked my eServices and don't see any pending issues or alerts. Everything looks clean, which makes me think it really is just my bank being slow with processing. Thanks for the suggestion though!

Quick update for those following this thread: ESD just announced yesterday they're bringing in 45 temporary workers specifically to address the identity verification backlog. They're estimating it will take 3-4 weeks to get back to normal processing times. So there is some hope on the horizon! In the meantime, definitely follow through on contacting your state rep and trying the other suggestions here.

UPDATE: I finally got this resolved! After trying everything suggested here, what finally worked was using Claimyr to get through to an agent (thanks for that suggestion!). Once I got a real person on the phone, they told me the issue was that my driver's license had my middle initial but my ESD account had my full middle name. Such a small thing! The agent was able to override the verification on the spot since I was on the phone with them. My status changed to approved about 2 hours later, and they said I should expect payment within 48 hours for all the back weeks. I'm so relieved! Thank you all for your help during this stressful time.

One more important tip: When you file your new claim, there should be a section where you can explain special circumstances. Make sure to clearly state: "This is a new claim after requalifying from a previous disqualification. I have earned more than 7x my weekly benefit amount through Instacart work as required and have waited the mandatory 7 weeks." Being explicit about this can help flag your claim for proper processing.

UPDATE: Success! I followed everyone's advice here and it worked! Filed a completely new claim (instead of trying to restart the old one), mentioned specifically in the comments that I was requalifying after a disqualification, and used Claimyr to get through to an actual person who reviewed my case. The agent confirmed that my Instacart earnings DID count toward requalification, and they were able to update my status in the system. My claim is now showing as Pending rather than Disqualified! They said I should see a determination within 7-10 days. Thank you all so much for the help!!!

One important thing to remember: even while your claim is in adjudication, you must continue to meet all job search requirements and file your weekly claims on time. If you miss filing a weekly claim during this period, you'll lose benefits for that week even if your case is eventually approved. The current job search requirement is three documented job search activities per week. These can include job applications, attending WorkSource workshops, creating accounts on job search websites, etc. Keep detailed records of all these activities as ESD can audit your job search logs at any time.

FINAL UPDATE: My claim was finally approved! All 9 weeks of back payments hit my account this morning. The adjudicator said the documentation I provided clearly showed it was a layoff and not misconduct. Such a relief! For anyone else stuck in pending hell, definitely try to talk to a real person at ESD - it makes all the difference. Thanks everyone for your help!

Quick update on the timeline expectations: If your appeal was filed Monday and they said it's with a caseworker, they're likely in the "reconsideration" phase. This is actually good news because if the caseworker agrees with you, they can reverse the decision without going to OAH. The bad news is there's no guaranteed timeline for this phase. Have you checked your online correspondence in eServices? Sometimes they upload decisions there without notifying you. Also, check if your status has changed from "disqualified" to something else - that could indicate progress.

Same thing happened to me! I found out its because I answered YES to the 'physically able to work' question but then accidentally answered NO to 'available for work' on a weekly claim! Just ONE mistake and they assume your out of state! It took foreverrr to fix.