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If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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I tried calling Washington ESD about this exact question last month and could never get through. Finally used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier and actually got to talk to a real person. They were able to look up my wage history and confirm I didn't have enough W-2 wages to qualify. At least now I know for sure instead of wondering.
How much does something like that cost? I'm already broke so if it's expensive I can't afford it.
It's worth checking their website at claimyr.com - they focus on getting you through to the right person rather than charging a lot. Way less frustrating than trying to call yourself.
UPDATE: I dug through my tax records and found I actually had more W-2 wages than I remembered from that temp agency work. Going to apply this week and see what happens. Thanks everyone for the advice!
This is exactly what I needed to hear! I've been freelancing as a writer for the past year and completely forgot about a 3-month contract I had with a local nonprofit where they put me on their payroll as a temporary employee. I was so focused on thinking of myself as "self-employed" that I didn't even consider those W-2 wages might count. Going to pull out my tax documents tonight and see if I have enough qualifying wages. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences - it's so much more helpful than trying to navigate the ESD website alone!
This is such a relief to read! I've been freelancing as a photographer for about 14 months and honestly thought I was completely out of luck when work started drying up last month. But reading your update made me remember that I actually worked for an event planning company for about 6 weeks last summer where they definitely had me as a regular employee with all the tax withholdings. I was so caught up in thinking of myself as purely self-employed that I totally overlooked that period. Going to dig out those old pay stubs this weekend and see if it's enough to qualify. Thanks so much for sharing your success - it's given me actual hope instead of just stress!
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I went through something very similar back in December! My adjudication date changed three times after I contacted my state representative's office, and I was convinced I had somehow messed up my claim. Turns out it was actually the system updating as my case moved through different stages of review. The final date they gave me was accurate - I got my determination letter exactly on that date and was approved with full backpay. The key thing is to keep filing your weekly claims no matter what, because if you miss those you can't get backpay for those weeks even if approved. Hang in there, the date changes are usually a good sign that things are moving!
This is so reassuring to hear from someone who went through the exact same thing! I've been so worried that I somehow messed up my claim by reaching out for help, but it sounds like the date changes are actually normal when your case gets escalated. I'm definitely going to keep filing my weekly claims - that's great advice about not missing any weeks. It gives me hope that the March 14th date might actually be accurate and I'll finally get some resolution. Thank you for sharing your experience!
I'm new to this whole unemployment process and reading through all these experiences is both scary and reassuring! I filed my claim about two weeks ago and it went straight to adjudication. I've been panicking thinking I did something wrong, but seeing that this seems pretty normal is helping calm my nerves. Emily, your situation sounds exactly like what I'm going through - the waiting and anxiety about rent and bills is just overwhelming. I'm definitely going to try calling the governor's office based on what everyone is saying here. It's so helpful to have a community where people share their real experiences instead of just the confusing official ESD website. Thank you all for being so open about your struggles and successes!
Welcome to the community, Giovanni! You're absolutely right that this process is both scary and overwhelming, especially when you're dealing with financial stress. It's completely normal for claims to go into adjudication - it doesn't mean you did anything wrong. The fact that you're reaching out and getting advice from people who've been through this is really smart. Definitely try the governor's office route if you've been waiting more than a few weeks. And like others have mentioned, make sure to keep filing those weekly claims even while in adjudication. We're all here to help each other navigate this confusing system!
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Bottom line for OP - you'll probably get somewhere in the $500-700 range based on your salary. Not amazing money but enough to get by while job hunting. Just file as soon as you're eligible and don't delay.
Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! Sounds like it's definitely worth applying if I end up needing it.
Definitely file right away if you become unemployed. There's no benefit to waiting and you want to get the process started as soon as possible.
One thing to keep in mind is that your benefit amount also depends on how consistent your earnings were during the base period. If you had gaps in employment or your income varied a lot between quarters, it might affect your weekly benefit calculation. Also, make sure you have all your employment documentation ready when you file - pay stubs, W-2s, etc. It helps speed up the process and ensures they calculate your benefits accurately from the start.
This has been such an informative discussion! As someone who's never had to deal with unemployment before, all these practical tips are really reassuring. I'm particularly glad to hear about the digital documentation being accepted - like someone else mentioned, most of my pay stubs are PDFs anyway. One thing I'm wondering about is timing - if I suspect layoffs might be coming at my company, is there anything I should be doing now to prepare besides gathering documents? Like should I start researching the application process or would it be better to wait until it actually happens?
Definitely smart to start preparing now if layoffs seem likely! I'd recommend creating a folder (digital or physical) to start collecting all those pay stubs, W-2s, and employment records while you still have easy access to everything. Also familiarize yourself with the ESD website and maybe even create an account if possible - when the time comes, you'll want to file as quickly as possible since there's no benefit to waiting. Another thing to consider is updating your resume and LinkedIn profile now while you're still employed and not under the stress of sudden job loss. Having these things ready to go will let you hit the ground running with both your unemployment application and your job search if the worst happens.
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Just remember that getting CalFresh while on unemployment is totally normal and nothing to be embarrassed about. Both programs exist to help people during tough times.
Thank you for saying that. I really appreciate everyone's help and encouragement.
I just wanted to chime in as someone who successfully got CalFresh while receiving Washington ESD unemployment benefits. The process is definitely doable! One thing that really helped me was having my monthly UI determination letter ready when I applied - it shows exactly what your weekly benefit amount is and makes the income verification much smoother. Also, don't forget that they'll factor in your rent and utility costs when calculating your CalFresh amount, so even with UI income you might still qualify for meaningful food assistance. The whole safety net is designed to work together during times like these.
Natasha Orlova
Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else going through this - I had a fact-finding interview for reduced hours back in October and it took exactly 3 weeks to get my decision. The key thing that helped speed up my case was having all my documentation ready - pay stubs showing the hour reduction, any written communication from my employer about the change, and exact dates of when everything happened. ESD seems to process cases faster when they have clear evidence right from the start. Also, like others mentioned, keep filing your weekly claims even while waiting! I almost stopped filing because I thought it was pointless, but you definitely need those claims on file to get your backpay once approved.
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Amina Sow
•This is really helpful advice about having documentation ready! I wish I had known this before my interview. For anyone preparing, I'd also suggest writing down a timeline of events beforehand so you don't forget important details during the call. The interviewer asked me very specific questions about dates and I was glad I had everything written out. Also totally agree about continuing to file weekly claims - that was stressed to me multiple times and I'm so glad I did since the backpay covered all those weeks!
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Santiago Diaz
Just wanted to share that I went through something very similar last year when my employer cut my hours from 38 to 18 per week. My fact-finding interview was on a Tuesday and I got my approval decision the following Monday - so about 6 business days total. I think the key factors that helped speed things up were: 1) My employer didn't contest the claim, and 2) I had all my documentation organized (old schedule vs new schedule, pay stubs, etc.). The interviewer seemed impressed that I came prepared with exact dates and details. One tip I'd give is to emphasize during your interview that this was entirely the employer's decision and that you had no choice in the matter. ESD needs to establish that you're unemployed through no fault of your own. Sounds like you have a strong case since the hour reduction was so drastic and without warning!
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