I had almost this EXACT situation in January!!! Former employer wanted me back at WAY lower pay for "just a few weeks" which turned into them pressuring me to stay permanently at that lower rate. I refused and reported everything to ESD. They tried to challenge my unemployment but I won because I had documentation of the original terms they offered me. GET IT IN WRITING!!!

Just wanted to add my experience from a similar situation last fall. I was a project coordinator making $32/hr, got laid off, then my old company offered me data entry work at $15/hr "to help out during busy season." I was nervous about refusing but my case worker at WorkSource actually advised me to decline it since it was such a massive step down from my skill level and previous wage. The key thing that helped me was being able to show ESD that I was actively pursuing work at my appropriate level - I had applications out, interviews scheduled, etc. They want to see you're making genuine efforts to find suitable employment, not just coasting on benefits. Document your job search activities really well and you should be fine refusing this low offer. Also agree with everyone saying get it in writing! When I had to report my refusal, having the email with their exact offer details made the whole process much smoother.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! I feel much more confident about navigating the Washington ESD website now. You guys are lifesavers.

Just wanted to add - when you're creating your SAW account, make sure to use an email address you check regularly. Washington ESD sends important notifications about your claim status, payment issues, and required actions through email. I missed a critical message once because I used an old email address and it caused a delay in my benefits. Also, keep your phone number updated in your profile since they sometimes send text alerts too.

Any luck getting through? Been thinking about your situation and hoping you found a solution!

So glad you were able to get through and get your issue resolved! That identity verification flag is such a common problem that doesn't show up properly in the online portal - it's like they designed the system to hide important information from claimants. 40 minutes on hold is actually pretty good for ESD standards! For anyone else reading this thread, Ellie's success story shows that the Tuesday morning strategy really does work. The key seems to be persistence and timing. Also want to echo what Nina said about keeping track of agent names/reference numbers - ESD has a habit of "losing" records of previous calls, so documentation is your friend. Hope your payments come through quickly and you can get caught up on your bills!

Update: Thanks everyone for all the suggestions! I ended up using Claimyr like several people recommended and finally got through to resolve my standby status question. Turns out I don't need to do job search activities while I'm waiting for my union callback. Could have saved weeks of stress if I'd been able to reach them sooner but at least it's sorted now!

I've been having the same exact problem for the past month! The phone system is completely broken. I tried calling at 8:00 AM sharp every day this week and either get a busy signal immediately or sit on hold for 3+ hours just to get disconnected. It's incredibly frustrating when you have legitimate questions about your claim but can't reach anyone. The online portal doesn't cover specific situations like standby status or adjudication issues. At this point I'm seriously considering that Claimyr service people have mentioned - spending money to get through to a phone system I'm already entitled to use feels wrong, but I'm running out of options.

One more thing about calling Washington ESD - if you do get through and they say they need additional documentation, ask them to email you the specific list of what they need. Sometimes they'll ask for documents over the phone but then you're not sure exactly what format they want. Getting it in writing saves you from having to call back multiple times.

I went through something similar last year - filed in October and didn't see my first payment until mid-December. It turned out my former employer had provided incorrect information about my separation date, which created a discrepancy that needed manual review. The frustrating part is that Washington ESD doesn't proactively tell you what the specific issue is - you have to call to find out. In my case, once I got through to someone and they identified the problem, it was resolved within a week. The good news is that when it finally processes, you'll get all the back payments for the weeks you've been waiting, so you won't lose any money, just the timing. Keep doing those weekly claims no matter what - that's crucial for getting your back pay.