I'm in almost the exact same boat! Got my approval letter yesterday after a 4-week wait (also had to escalate through multiple channels), but my online account still shows pending. Reading through these comments is really reassuring - sounds like 3-5 business days is normal. The waiting game is brutal when you're already financially stressed. At least we made it through the hardest part of getting approved! I'll be checking my account obsessively for the next few days.

I work at a local credit union and see this situation frequently with our members. While you're waiting for your ESD payment, don't forget to reach out to your landlord about the situation if rent is due soon - many are understanding about unemployment delays, especially if you can show them your approval letter. Also, some utility companies and other service providers have hardship programs that can give you a few extra days or weeks if needed. The approval letter is solid proof that money is coming, which helps when asking for temporary flexibility on bills.

just dont forget to file on sundays!! i always set a reminder on my phone because if you miss sunday you can still file on monday but if you miss that too its a whole thing to get permission to backdate your claim and sometimes they deny it for no reason

I'm in a similar situation with my part-time retail job - some weeks I get scheduled for 35+ hours and other weeks it's just 15-20. I was also confused about this at first, but everyone here is absolutely right about filing every single week. I made the mistake of not filing for one week when I got extra hours and it almost caused my claim to go inactive. The ESD system is really strict about the two-week rule. Even if you earn too much to get benefits that week, filing keeps your claim active and makes everything smoother when your hours drop again. It literally takes like 3 minutes to file online, so it's worth doing even when you know you'll get $0.

I've been helping people navigate Washington ESD for years, and unfortunately you're right that in-person filing is basically gone. However, I'd suggest trying one more approach that's worked for many people - if you have a local library, they often have computer assistance programs where staff can help you navigate government websites. Many librarians are trained to help with exactly this type of situation. The Seattle Public Library system has been particularly helpful with unemployment claims. You'd still be filing online, but with knowledgeable support right there beside you. It's not quite the same as the old ESD offices, but it's the closest thing to in-person help you're likely to find.

I had the exact same frustration when I lost my job last year. After trying everything - the broken website, endless phone holds, even driving to what I thought was still an ESD office only to find it closed - I finally had success with a combination approach. I went to my local library (Bellevue Regional Library) where they have a "Digital Navigator" program specifically to help people with government websites. The librarian sat with me for about 45 minutes and we got through the entire application process together. She knew all the common error messages and how to work around the site's quirks. It felt like having that old-school in-person service but adapted for the digital age. Most libraries in King County have similar programs - definitely worth calling ahead to schedule a session. They're used to helping people with ESD claims and know exactly which browsers work best and when to try submitting. Way less stressful than going it alone!

Quick follow-up since there's some confusion in this thread. You have three options: 1. File your weekly claim, report your earnings honestly, and complete your job searches (safest option) 2. Don't file a claim for that week at all (okay if it's just 1-2 weeks) 3. File your claim, report earnings, but report no job searches (risky - could disqualify you and trigger adjudication) Option 1 is the safest, even though it requires a bit more work. Option 2 is fine for a short period. I would never recommend Option 3.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been through this whole process multiple times. The safest route is definitely to keep filing and doing your job searches even when you know you won't get benefits that week. I learned this the hard way when I skipped filing for what I thought was just going to be two weeks of higher earnings from freelance work. Ended up being three weeks, and when I tried to file again, my claim had been automatically closed. Had to go through the whole reopening process which took forever and created a gap in my benefits when my freelance work dried up again. The 30 minutes it takes to do the minimum job search activities is so much better than dealing with ESD bureaucracy later!

I went through this exact same stress with my PFML claim a few months ago! Here's what I learned: ESD is SUPPOSED to notify you about missing docs, but it's not always reliable. Sometimes the notifications get buried in your portal, sometimes they go to spam, and sometimes (unfortunately) they just don't send them at all. My advice: Don't wait passively. Log into your PFML portal every single day and check both your messages AND your claim status page. Look for any "pending" items or requests for additional information. If you see anything that says "under review" for more than 10 business days, that's when I'd start getting worried. Also, since you mentioned having multiple versions of the medical form - when in doubt, upload the most recent/comprehensive one. I made the mistake of uploading an incomplete form and had to restart my whole claim process. Better to over-document than under-document with ESD. You've got this! The waiting is the worst part, but most claims do get approved eventually if you stay on top of it.

I'm going through a similar situation right now with my PFML claim! Just wanted to add that if you're really concerned about the medical form, you can also contact your doctor's office directly and ask them which version is the current one that ESD requires. Sometimes medical offices have outdated forms on file, so it's worth double-checking with them. Also, I found that setting up text notifications in addition to email notifications in my PFML portal helped me catch updates faster. The text alerts seem to come through more reliably than emails for some reason. You can change your notification preferences in your account settings. Hope everything works out for you - the stress of waiting when you need that income is really tough! Keep us posted on how it goes.