Can't reach Washington Unemployment? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
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Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the ESD
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the ESD drops your call
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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!
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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.
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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!
Ask the community...
- 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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One last tip - keep detailed records of everything. All your medical clearance paperwork, disability end dates, job search activities, everything. Washington ESD loves documentation.
Exactly! And if you do end up needing to call them about your claim, having all that info handy will make the conversation much smoother.
Great advice. Organization is key when dealing with any government benefit system.
Just wanted to add that when you do file your claim, make sure you have your Social Security number, driver's license, and employment history for the last 18 months ready. Washington ESD will ask for specific details about your last employer including dates of employment, reason for separation, and wages earned. Since your job was eliminated while you were on disability, that should actually work in your favor - involuntary job loss is typically straightforward for unemployment eligibility. The fact that you're medically cleared to return to work is the key piece that will help your case.
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Just want to add that I did something similar in 2024 and my experience was actually pretty smooth. I think it depends a lot on which field you're going into and whether ESD considers it "in demand." I got approved for retraining in healthcare IT after about 4 weeks. Make sure ALL your documentation is perfect - I included labor market info from WorkSource showing the job growth in my new field compared to my old one. Also found it helpful to meet with a WorkSource counselor first who helped me prepare my application. They know exactly what ESD is looking for!
worksorce helped me too theyre actually really nice in person not like the website that never works lol
As someone who just went through this process last year, I'd strongly recommend getting your application in ASAP! I was in a similar situation - laid off from manufacturing and wanted to switch to cybersecurity. The whole process took about 5 weeks for approval, but it was totally worth it. One tip that really helped me: when you fill out the application, be super specific about why warehouse jobs are declining in your area. I included actual statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing job losses in my old field vs. projected growth in IT. Also, make sure your chosen program leads to industry-recognized certifications - ESD loves that because it shows clear employability. Once approved, you're golden - no more job searches while in training, and you can focus 100% on your studies. The relief was incredible! IT is definitely considered "in demand" so you should have a good shot at approval. Best of luck!
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This whole conversation makes me glad I'm just focusing on my job search instead of trying to juggle gig work too. Seems like a lot of extra complications.
I hear you, but sometimes you need the extra income to get by. As long as you report everything properly, it's manageable.
True, everyone's situation is different. Good luck with everything!
One last thing - make sure your gig work doesn't put you over the maximum earnings threshold for the week. If you earn too much, you might lose your entire UI benefit for that week.
Generally if your earnings exceed your weekly benefit amount, you won't receive any UI for that week. But there might be some allowances built in.
I've been doing some research on this and from what I can find on the Washington ESD website, there's actually a partial earnings disregard. It's not a simple dollar-for-dollar reduction. I believe you can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit amount before any deduction, then they subtract the remaining earnings from your benefit. But the exact calculation is complex and I'd recommend calling to confirm your specific situation.
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UPDATE: Just wanted to share that I received my refund check today - exactly 7 weeks after the waiver approval letter! It came as a paper check with a detailed statement showing the original overpayment amount, what I had paid, and the refund amount. They did take out a small processing fee (about 1%) but otherwise returned the full amount I had paid. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and advice - it really helped me understand what to expect during this confusing process!
awesome!! glad it worked out for you!!
Congratulations on getting your refund! This is such a helpful update for anyone else going through this process. The 7-week timeline seems pretty consistent with what others have reported. It's good to know they provided a detailed statement with the check too - that transparency helps a lot when dealing with ESD. Thanks for coming back to share the outcome, especially since so many people are dealing with similar waiver/refund situations right now.
Olivia Clark
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. I learned a lot and feel much more confident about reapplying for benefits.
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CaptainAwesome
•Same here! This community is really helpful for navigating unemployment stuff.
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Esmeralda Gómez
•Glad we could help! Best of luck with your reapplication.
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Zara Rashid
Just wanted to add my experience - I reapplied in October after working temp jobs for a few months and it was pretty smooth. The key thing is making sure you have enough wages from work AFTER your previous claim ended. I had to wait an extra month because my first temp job didn't pay enough to meet the requirements, but once I had sufficient earnings it went through without any issues. The online application took about 30 minutes and I got my first payment two weeks later.
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