is anyone else noticing that ESD keeps changing their policies??? last year my brother only had to provide ONE form of ID but now they want TWO from everyone? and then they take FOREVER to process them! i bet they're just trying to delay payments to save money. the whole system is designed to make people give up!!!

make sure u answer ur phone even if u dont recognize the number!!! sometimes ESD calls from random numbers and if u miss it they just mark ur file as 'unable to contact' and delay everything another week!

Make sure you're also aware of the difference between your "hours worked" and "hours offered" - if your employer offers you full-time work (whatever that means for them) and you decline those hours to stay on unemployment, ESD could potentially disqualify you for refusing suitable work. So be careful how you handle the conversation with your manager. When you report your weekly claim, you need to report any hours offered that you turned down, not just hours you actually worked.

back when i filed in 2025 ESD told me that you have to report ALL EARNINGS regardless of how many hours and they calculate ur benefit. i think they deduct like 75% of what u earn from ur weekly amount?? So if u make $100 they take away $75 from ur benefit. i dunno exactly though just know u gotta report everything

I dunno if this helps but I had a similar issue back in January when my claim kept saying "pending" for weeks. I ended up contacting my state representative's office and explained my situation. Their constituent services person made some calls and suddenly my claim was processed within 48 hours. Might be worth a try if nothing else works?

Just wanted to follow up - did any of these suggestions work for you? I'm curious if you ended up trying Claimyr or one of the other methods people suggested here.

Update on the Claimyr suggestion - after the OP mentioned they'll check it out, I wanted to add that when I used it, I just had my claim ID and SSN ready, which is what the ESD agent needed to look up my file. The whole thing took about 25 minutes total from starting the service to talking with an agent. Just sharing in case it helps!

UPDATE: I used Claimyr and got through to an ESD rep today! They confirmed there was indeed a mix-up in their system. Someone with a similar name had previous claims, and somehow that info got linked to my case. The agent made detailed notes in my file and is sending corrected info to OAH before my hearing. They said to still bring my employment history docs as backup. Feeling SO much better now - thank you all for the advice!

my hearing was actually kinda quick - about 45 minutes. the judge asked me questions first, then my employer, then gave me a chance to respond to what they said. just be honest and stick to the facts about those late payments!!

IMPORTANT: If you can't make the hearing date for any reason, call OAH immediately to request a continuance. Don't wait until the last minute. If you miss your hearing without getting it rescheduled, you'll automatically lose and have to repay all benefits. Also, you'll probably get a decision within 1-2 weeks after the hearing. It will come by mail, so make sure ESD has your current address. If you win, great! If you lose, you have 30 days to file a petition for review with the Commissioner's Office. That's a whole separate process, but don't worry about that unless it happens. Rooting for you!

Update on my situation - I called using the service I mentioned earlier and got through to someone who confirmed there was a specific issue with my identity verification that was holding things up, even though my account showed everything was complete. They fixed it on the spot and my payments started processing within 48 hours. Sometimes you just need to get to a human who can actually look at what's happening behind the scenes.

I decided to try Claimyr today after seeing the recommendation here, and I FINALLY got through to someone at ESD! Turns out there was a verification issue with one of my previous employers that wasn't showing up anywhere in my online account. The agent was able to verify the information right there on the call and told me my claim should be processed within 3-5 business days. So relieved to finally know what was going on. Will update if the payments actually start coming through. Thanks everyone for your help and support!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - when you file your appeal, make sure to specifically request to continue receiving benefits during the appeal process if you're otherwise eligible (like actively job searching and doing your weekly claims). Many people don't realize you can potentially get benefits while appealing if you request it specifically. Also, in your appeal statement, focus on these key points: 1. You continued working with the understanding the reduction was temporary 2. You actively participated in efforts to restore business (those proposals) 3. You only resigned when it became clear the reduction would be permanent ESD's guidelines do have some flexibility for "good faith" situations like yours, but you need to be very clear about the timeline and your reasoning.

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I've started gathering all my documentation - found emails confirming the hours reduction was presented as temporary and evidence of the proposal work I was doing to try to bring in new business. I've submitted my appeal request and will continue filing weekly claims as suggested. I'll update this thread after my hearing to let you know how it goes!

if your standby runs out before they approve the extension do u have to do the WorkSource orientation thing? that was the most confusing part for me

Just an update on my situation from January - make absolutely sure your employer indicates the REASON for the extension request. My first request was denied because my boss just asked for "more time" without explaining the specific construction delays. Second request with details about permit issues and contractor delays was approved immediately.

That Claimyr service someone mentioned sounds interesting. Has anyone else tried it? I'm desperate to talk to someone about my claim too.

UPDATE: You guys were right! I just got a determination letter in my eServices inbox! Claim APPROVED and they're releasing all my back payments from September! I'm literally crying right now. Thank you all for the support and advice during this nightmare process!

That's a classic appealable error. The statute doesn't contain a \

I know someone who lost at OAH but won at Commissioner Review. Took forever tho like 5 months but they got all back benefits + interest. Make sure u meet that 30 day deadline no matter what!!!