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- Connect you to a human agent at the ESD
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
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- Give you free callbacks if the ESD drops your call
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!
Really made a difference
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 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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when I got laid off in November I thought standby meant I didn't have to do job search but that was wrong!! had to appeal and it was such a mess. make sure you understand all the requirements
This is a common misunderstanding. "Standby" status is something your employer has to specifically request for you, and it only applies in certain situations like seasonal work or temporary layoffs where you're expected to return to your job. Even then, standby status only lasts for a limited time before regular job search requirements kick in. Always check your specific requirements in your ESD account.
Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! I'll definitely file my weekly claim this Sunday and keep doing my job search activities. I just wish ESD made all this clearer when you first apply. I've set a reminder on my phone for Sunday so I don't forget to file. One more question - how long does it typically take to get the first payment after the waiting week?
After your waiting week and assuming your application is approved without any issues, you'll typically see your first payment within 2-3 business days after filing your weekly claim if you have direct deposit set up. If you're getting the ESD debit card, it can take 7-10 days for the first card to arrive in the mail. Any subsequent payments to the card are usually available within 2 business days after you file your weekly claim. Just be prepared that if your claim gets flagged for any reason (identity verification, job separation issues, etc.), it could go into adjudication which can delay payments significantly. That's why it's important to respond to any ESD requests for information right away.
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Bottom line - with $1000/week gross you're looking at probably $750-850 per week in unemployment benefits assuming you have sufficient base period wages. The exact amount depends on your wage history over the past 15 months.
That range is really helpful for planning. Thanks everyone for all the detailed info!
Just remember to file immediately if it happens and don't wait. Good luck!
Just to add another perspective - I was laid off from a similar tech role making $950/week and ended up getting $780/week in benefits. The key thing that helped me was having all my employment documentation ready when I filed (last pay stub, layoff letter, etc). Also definitely recommend setting up direct deposit right away since paper checks can take forever to arrive. The whole process was smoother than I expected once I got through the initial application.
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Update: I tried calling at 7:59am this morning and after redaling about 20 times, I actually got through! Was on hold for 1.5 hours but finally spoke to someone who resolved my issue. For anyone else struggling - keep trying the early morning calls and just keep redialing if you get the busy message. Persistence eventually paid off for me!
There was an employer response that triggered adjudication, but they never sent me the questionnaire I needed to complete. The agent was able to resend it and actually processed it while I was on the phone. My payments should start processing in 48 hours she said!
congrats! still trying on my end... maybe tomorrow will be my lucky day
Just wanted to share another option that worked for me - I contacted my local state senator's office (found through leg.wa.gov) and their constituent services person was amazing. She contacted ESD directly and got my claim moving within 3 business days after I'd been stuck for over a month. I was honestly skeptical about bothering elected officials with this, but she said unemployment issues are one of their most common requests and they have dedicated staff for exactly this purpose. All I had to do was fill out a simple form with my claim details and sign a release allowing them to inquire on my behalf. For anyone who's been waiting weeks like I was - don't hesitate to reach out to your representatives. It's literally part of their job to help constituents navigate state agencies. Way less stressful than the phone marathon!
This is really helpful advice! I had no idea that contacting state representatives was even an option for unemployment issues. I've been struggling to get through to ESD for weeks now and feeling pretty hopeless about it. How long did the whole process take from when you first contacted your senator's office to when your claim actually got resolved? And did they ask for any specific documentation beyond the basic claim details?
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If anyone is still having issues getting their UI number sorted out, I'd definitely recommend trying Claimyr. Used it last week when I couldn't get through to Washington ESD about a different issue and it saved me so much time and frustration. The video demo on their site shows exactly how it works too.
If you've been trying to call for days and can't get through, absolutely. Sometimes you just need to talk to a real person to get things straightened out.
Makes sense. The phone system is definitely the worst part of dealing with Washington ESD.
I just went through this same confusion last month! Your UI number should be on your monetary determination letter - it's the one that starts with "UI" followed by numbers. But here's a tip that helped me: if you can't find any paperwork, log into your SecureAccess Washington account and go to your unemployment services dashboard. Your UI number is displayed right there at the top of your claim summary. Way easier than digging through emails and letters. Once you find it, definitely save it somewhere safe because you'll need it every single week for filing claims.
Thanks for the tip about the SecureAccess Washington account! I didn't even think to check there. That sounds way more convenient than hunting through all my paperwork every time I need the number.
Mia Alvarez
Thanks everyone for the input! Sounds like I just need to be patient and keep filing my weekly claims. I'll try that Claimyr service if I hit the one-month mark with no movement. Really helpful to know this is normal for Washington and not something specific to my claim. I'll update here when something changes in case it helps others in the same situation.
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Carter Holmes
•Good plan. And just to set expectations - even after approval, the first payment usually takes 3-5 business days to process. Make sure your payment method (direct deposit or debit card) is set up in advance to avoid further delays.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
I'm in a very similar situation - moved from Oregon to Washington a few months ago and was shocked by the difference in processing times! Oregon was always so quick and their online system was much more user-friendly. Washington's ESD feels like stepping back in time. I'm currently waiting on a claim that's been pending for 4 weeks now, which would have been resolved in under 2 weeks back in Oregon. The lack of real-time updates or clear communication about what's happening is the most frustrating part. At least in Oregon you could see if your claim was moving through different stages of review. Here it's just "pending" until one day it magically isn't. Hang in there - from what I've heard from others, most claims do eventually get processed, it just takes forever!
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Nia Jackson
•Thank you for sharing this! It's so reassuring to hear from someone else who made the same transition. The "pending until it magically isn't" description is spot on - that's exactly how it feels! I'm at 3 weeks now and getting anxious, but your comment and others here are helping me realize this is just how Washington operates. Did you end up calling them or just waiting it out? I'm debating whether to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier if I hit the 4-week mark like you.
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