When I had a pending claim it took 6 weeks to get resolved! And my landlord wasn't understanding at all. Have you thought about taking any temporary gig work while you wait? That's what saved me - did food delivery for a couple weeks until my claim finally went through.

I've been thru the whole ESD nightmare twice now. The thing no one tells you is that if you get denied, you should ALWAYS appeal. I got denied initially but won on appeal & got backpay for all those weeks. Don't give up!

One additional thing to note: ESD has specific rules about when they can and cannot accept late employer responses, outlined in WAC 192-130-065. The rule states that an employer's response may be considered if received within 30 days of the mailing of the Notice to Base Year Employer, if good cause is established. What this means for you: Your employer's 10-day late response is technically still within the extended timeframe allowed by regulation. However, they should have been required to establish "good cause" for their lateness. If you do speak with an ESD agent, you can specifically ask if the employer provided good cause for their late response as required by WAC 192-130-065. If they didn't, you have grounds to request that their late response not be considered. This might be helpful information for your adjudication interview.

Update: I wanted to share what finally worked for me in case it helps others in a similar situation. I tried everything suggested here - calling repeatedly (never got through), contacting my state representative (they sent an inquiry but I didn't hear back), and submitting additional documentation through my eServices account. What finally worked was using Claimyr to get through to an actual ESD agent. I was skeptical, but after 5 weeks in adjudication with no progress, I was desperate. The service connected me to an ESD agent in about 30 minutes. The agent was actually very helpful and explained that my employer had claimed I quit voluntarily, which contradicted my layoff documentation. She scheduled an adjudication interview for the following week and flagged my case for priority review due to the lengthy delay. I had my adjudication interview yesterday, was able to present all my evidence, and got approved today! All benefits are being paid retroactively. If anyone else is stuck in adjudication limbo, don't give up. Keep excellent records, continue filing weekly claims, and find a way to speak with an actual human at ESD who can see what's happening with your claim.

My payment just hit my account about 10 minutes ago! Check yours, maybe they're just doing them in batches today.

For future reference, ESD normally processes payments in batches, and while they try to maintain consistent timing, there are occasional variables in the system. If your claim shows as 'paid' in eServices, the money is already allocated to you - it's just a matter of the transfer process completing. Bank processing times can also vary, even if ESD sends the payment at the same time they always do. If you're ever concerned about payment delays affecting bill payments, I'd recommend keeping at least a small buffer in your account if possible, or contacting your billers to adjust auto-payment dates to be a few days after your normal unemployment deposit date.

Just to add to my earlier comment - make sure you still file your weekly claim accurately during this transition period. Report all hours worked honestly. If you're found to have claimed benefits while working full-time, even if you haven't been paid yet, it could result in an overpayment that you'd have to pay back. Better to follow the rules now than deal with collections later.

Update: I talked to my new employer's HR department and explained my situation. They actually have a program for new employees that allows a partial advance on the first month's pay! I'll get 40% of my expected monthly earnings next week, which will help me bridge the gap until the full payday. For anyone else facing this issue, definitely ask your employer if they have options - I didn't even know to ask until reading suggestions here. Thanks everyone for your help!

After calling ESD (which was difficult, but worth it), I learned some helpful information about post-exhaustion. If your claim has been in good standing throughout, it's unlikely they'll find issues later. They typically identify problems during your active claim period. That said, they suggested maintaining records for these timeframes: - Job search logs: 1 year minimum - Income documentation: 2 years - Determination letters: 3 years These are just precautionary measures. Most claimants who consistently followed the rules don't face post-exhaustion issues. Focus on your upcoming interview, as securing employment is the best path forward!

I went through exactly the same thing last month! I was so anxious when my benefits ran out, but I haven't heard anything negative since. Just make sure your address is up to date with them so if they DO send anything, you'll get it. Good luck on your interview!!

Look into whether ur eligible for hardship payment thru DSHS while waiting. Also check food banks in ur area. The alt base year thing actually happened to my brother in law and it took about 3 weeks after that letter before he saw any money. Hang in there!

Quick update about WorkSource since you asked - they CAN help with some ESD issues, but it depends on the office and who's working that day. Some WorkSource staff have limited access to the ESD system and can at least tell you what's happening with your claim. They can't override decisions or speed up processing, but they might give you better info than you have now. If you go in person, bring: 1. Photo ID 2. Your ESD paperwork including that Alternate Base Year letter 3. Social Security card if you have it 4. Employment history for the past 18 months Call the WorkSource office first to make sure they can help with unemployment issues and if you need an appointment.

UPDATE: You all were right! My status changed to 'paid' this morning and the payment is scheduled for deposit tomorrow. Thanks everyone for calming me down and helping me understand how the system works. I'll know not to panic next time I see 'pending' status.

yay!! glad it worked out! the esd website gives me anxiety everytime i log in lol

I saw someone mention they tried Claimyr earlier in this thread - I used it last week and it actually worked pretty well. Got a callback in about an hour and was able to sort out my adjudication issue. Beats spending days redialing.

Update: I just had another question come up about my job search requirements and managed to get through to ESD again this morning. Called at 8:03am, waited about 35 minutes. The agent confirmed that right now they're training new phone staff so the wait times should actually improve over the next few weeks. Fingers crossed they're right! Also, make sure you're not calling on a holiday - I made that mistake last month and wasted a bunch of time before realizing they were closed.

EVERYONE here is forgetting the most IMPORTANT part!!!! Even if you file late, you can request a BACKDATING EXCEPTION due to "good cause"! ESD policy allows them to backdate more than one week in certain circumstances. Being confused about the filing process could count. YOU HAVE TO ASK FOR THIS SPECIFICALLY when you talk to them! Don't just accept that you've lost money!!!!

Update: I filed my claim today! The process was pretty straightforward. I explained my situation about the upcoming trip in the comments section, though I'm not sure if anyone reads those. I'll make sure to report that I'm unavailable during my travel days when I file my weekly claim. Thanks everyone for pushing me to file immediately rather than waiting. Even if I lose a couple of weeks of benefits, that's better than losing all three weeks plus the coming week. Lesson learned about not delaying with ESD!

Has anyone else noticed that the ESD website literally contradicts itself in different sections about this stuff????? I swear the FAQ says one thing and then the handbook says something else and then when you finally talk to someone they tell you a third thing????

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I'm going to report my severance payment when I file my weekly claim. It sounds like I might not receive benefits for a few weeks while they allocate the severance, but I'll keep filing my weekly claims so everything stays active. I'll also try the Claimyr service to get confirmation directly from ESD about how they'll handle this specific situation. Really appreciate all the advice!