Good luck with your claim filing! Based on everything discussed here, it sounds like you have a reasonable case since they stated it was a layoff due to restructuring. Just make sure to be completely honest about everything, keep detailed records of your job search activities from the start, and don't panic if you get an initial denial - the appeal process exists for a reason. The fact that you're being proactive and researching this beforehand shows you're taking it seriously, which will help you in the long run.

I went through a similar situation last year where I had some performance issues but was ultimately laid off due to "budget cuts." What really helped me was gathering any documentation that supported the employer's stated reason for the layoff - things like company-wide emails about restructuring, news articles about the company's financial situation, or even just the official termination letter that cited layoff as the reason. Washington ESD will contact your former employer to verify their story, so if they consistently told you it was a layoff due to restructuring, that should work in your favor. The attendance issues might be a red herring if they weren't the official reason for your separation. Just be prepared to explain the timeline clearly if asked.

I'm going through this exact same frustrating situation right now! Filed my unemployment claim with Washington ESD about a week ago and my weekly benefit amount is showing $0 even though my claim status says "Active." Like so many others here, I've tried calling multiple times but keep getting busy signals or disconnected after waiting on hold forever. It's really stressful not knowing what's wrong, especially when you're already dealing with the financial pressure of being unemployed. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly helpful though - it's both reassuring and eye-opening to see how common this issue actually is with the Washington ESD system. Based on everyone's advice, I'm going to keep filing my weekly claims regardless of the zero amount and definitely try the Claimyr service that Lucas and others have recommended since traditional calling clearly isn't working. The success stories about simple fixes that take just minutes once you reach an actual agent give me hope that this might be a quick resolution once I can get through to someone. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - this community support makes dealing with the confusing ESD system feel much less overwhelming!

I'm going through this exact same issue right now and it's incredibly frustrating! Filed my claim about 10 days ago and everything seemed to process smoothly initially, but my weekly benefit amount has been stuck at $0 despite my claim status showing "Active." Like so many others here, I've tried calling Washington ESD repeatedly but keep getting busy signals or getting disconnected after waiting on hold for what feels like forever. The uncertainty is really stressful when you're already dealing with unemployment and financial pressure. Reading through all these responses has been so helpful though - it's both reassuring and concerning to see how widespread this $0 benefit issue actually is with the Washington ESD system. Based on everyone's advice, I'm definitely going to keep filing my weekly claims regardless of the zero amount showing, and I think I need to try that Claimyr service that Lucas Notre-Dame and others have mentioned since traditional calling clearly isn't working for most people. The success stories about agents being able to fix these issues in just a few minutes once you can actually reach them give me hope that this might be a simple system glitch or verification hold that just needs human intervention to clear. Thanks Emma for starting this thread and to everyone else for sharing their experiences - this community support makes navigating the confusing Washington ESD system feel much less overwhelming!

If anyone is still having trouble reaching Washington ESD, I used Claimyr a few weeks ago and it worked great. You can check out their demo video to see how it works before deciding. Made my life so much easier than trying to call during business hours.

Thanks everyone for all the detailed info! This is really helpful. I was panicking thinking I did something wrong when I saw the waiting week notice. It's good to know I just need to keep filing my weekly claims and do my job search activities as normal. The hardest part is definitely the financial strain of waiting that extra week when you're already stressed about money. At least now I know what to expect and that I'm not the only one who's been confused by this process.

So glad you got this resolved! This is such a helpful thread for anyone dealing with similar wage reporting issues. The SSN mismatch situation you described is actually super common - I've seen it happen with friends before where just one transposed digit causes all sorts of problems. For future reference for anyone reading this, it's worth double-checking your SSN is correct in your employer's payroll system when you first start a job. Can save a lot of headaches down the road with unemployment, taxes, and even retirement benefits tracking.

This is such a valuable thread - thank you everyone for sharing your experiences! As someone who works in HR, I can confirm that SSN mismatches are unfortunately very common. We see this happen regularly where employees provide their correct SSN but there's a data entry error during onboarding, or sometimes the information gets corrupted during system transfers. It's always worth having employees verify their personal information (SSN, address, name spelling) is correct in the payroll system at least once a year, not just when they start. Glad you got this sorted out so quickly @c8dc05ecbfa7! Your update will definitely help others who might be panicking about missing wages.

Just wanted to add my experience - I went through a voluntary quit adjudication in late 2024 and it took about 8 weeks total. My employer also never responded, which actually worked out in my favor since I had good documentation about why I had to quit (unsafe working conditions). One thing that really helped was when I called ESD, I always asked them to add notes to my file about our conversation. The agents can put timestamps and details about what was discussed, which creates a paper trail showing you're actively engaged in the process. It seemed to help move things along faster than just waiting passively. Also, if you do get approved, remember that Washington pays benefits retroactively to when you first filed, so all those weeks you've been waiting won't be lost money. Keep your chin up - it sounds like you've done everything right and documented your case well!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - filed my claim 4 weeks ago after quitting due to discrimination and retaliation, and my employer hasn't responded either. It's so stressful not knowing when this will get resolved! Reading through everyone's experiences here is actually really helpful. I had no idea that employers get so much leeway with their response deadlines while we're stuck waiting and burning through savings. The tip about asking ESD agents to add notes to your file is brilliant - I'm definitely going to do that on my next call. @Luca Ricci - really hoping you get good news next week! It sounds like you documented everything properly and with your employer ghosting ESD for this long, that should work in your favor. Keep us posted on how it turns out!