UPDATE: I talked to my brother again and got more details. He definitely had a 12-month contract with no breaks in service (he even worked through summers doing major maintenance projects). The denial letter specifically cites RCW 50.44.050 about reasonable assurance of returning after breaks. He's going to call ESD tomorrow to try to get this straightened out, then file an appeal if needed. I'll update everyone once we hear something. Thanks for all the advice!!!

One more tip: When your brother appeals, he should specifically request backdating of benefits to his original filing date once the appeal is approved. I've seen cases where ESD only paid from the appeal decision date forward, not from the original claim date. This could be thousands of dollars difference! Good luck!

One thing nobody's mentioned: your benefit year. Once you file a claim, you establish a 52-week benefit year. During that time, you can collect up to your maximum benefit amount (usually 26 times your weekly benefit). If you wait until January and then lose a job AGAIN later in 2025, you might not be able to file a new claim until your benefit year ends in January 2026. Just something to consider in your planning!

For anyone interested in the specific ESD rules on severance pay: when you receive a lump sum severance payment, ESD allocates it based on your regular weekly wage. They treat it as if you're continuing to receive regular pay for a specific period. For example, if your weekly wage was $1,000 and you receive a $6,000 severance, ESD will consider you as having received wages for 6 weeks after separation. During those weeks, your unemployment benefits may be reduced or eliminated depending on the amounts. This is why understanding the timing can help you maximize your benefits. So waiting until after the severance period could make sense IF you're confident in your financial situation and job prospects. But as others have mentioned, you're essentially giving up potential benefit weeks that you won't get back.

Are you SURE you don't have any issues with your claim? Did you check the "Decisions" tab too? Sometimes they'll process a payment but then hold it if there's an adjudication or eligibility issue. When that happens, it can show as "Paid" in one place but then the money never actually gets sent. Check if you have any new letters or alerts in your ESD inbox too.

Just wanted to follow up - did your payment end up processing correctly? It should have updated by now if it was just the normal system delay.

Just wanted to check in - did your payment come through yet? Mine this week was later than usual too, wondering if there's something going on with their system.

Glad to hear your payment came through! For future reference, if you want more consistent deposit timing, you can change from ReliaCard to direct deposit by going to your ESD account, selecting 'Payment Options' under the 'Settings' menu, and entering your bank account information. Most regular banks process ACH transfers more consistently than prepaid cards. Just make sure you keep your ReliaCard active until you confirm your direct deposit is working properly.

Update: I used Claimyr yesterday after seeing it mentioned here and actually got through to an ESD rep in about 40 minutes! Didn't have to sit by my phone either - they just called me when they had an agent. My question about relocating was answered and they updated something in my file too. Just wanted to let everyone know it worked for me.

i had this same problem back in februarry. so annoying!!! the whole system is a joke

Just a heads-up that while waiting for PFML approval you should still do your weekly UI claims if you have any weeks left. If your PFML gets backdated to overlap with UI weeks, you'd have to pay back the UI for those weeks, but at least you'd have something coming in during the gap. Better safe than sorry. And document EVERYTHING – save confirmation numbers, take screenshots of submitted forms, etc. These systems are so broken it's crazy.

I just got off the phone with my doctor's office and they confirmed they submitted all the required medical certification forms for PFML. They said it's not unusual for it to take 3-4 weeks for processing right now. I guess I just need to be patient and budget carefully for the gap. Thanks everyone for your advice and sharing your experiences. I'll stop my UI claims after my last eligible week and hope the PFML kicks in quickly after that.

You should submit any documents you want considered at least 24 hours before the hearing. There should be instructions in the hearing notice about how to submit them. If you miss that window, you can still ask the judge during the hearing if you can submit them, but they have discretion whether to accept late submissions. Make sure to send copies to the employer as well - the hearing notice should explain the process for this too.

My hearing was so stressful I nearly threw up beforehand, but it ended up being way more straightforward than I expected. Just remember that the judges do this all day long and they're used to people being nervous. Also when my old company lied about stuff, the judge actually called them out on contradictions in their testimony!! I was shocked, I thought no one would believe me but the judge was actually super fair.

To address your original question about getting "railroaded" - in my experience and from what I've heard from others, the OAH judges tend to be fair but strict about following procedures. They're not ESD employees and are supposed to be neutral. One important tip: when it's your turn to speak, be concise and directly address the reason for disqualification. Since yours is about job search activities, focus exclusively on proving you did those activities and have a good reason for not logging them on time. Also, make sure to call in 5-10 minutes before the scheduled time, have all your documents organized, and be in a quiet place. Good preparation makes a huge difference in these hearings.

Practicing is actually a great idea. It helps you organize your thoughts and prepare for potential questions. Another thing to understand about these hearings: in 2025, ESD is processing a high volume of appeals, so ALJs (Administrative Law Judges) are trying to be efficient. This means: 1. Be on time and ready when they call 2. Answer questions directly - don't go off on tangents 3. If you don't understand something, politely ask for clarification 4. Have your case number and identifying information ready at the start The decision truly isn't made until after the hearing. I've seen many cases where proper documentation and a clear explanation have overturned the initial disqualification, especially in job search logging cases where the actual activities were completed.

As someone who's been through the ESD system many times, I can tell you that the best approach is to be proactive rather than waiting. When your status changes unexpectedly, it's almost always one of these three things: 1. Quarterly review flag (automated and usually clears within 4-5 business days) 2. Identity verification need (check your notices/letters section carefully) 3. Employer response (sometimes employers respond to claims weeks after you start receiving benefits) Since you've been receiving benefits consistently and this is a sudden change, it's most likely option 1 or 3. The fact that your benefit amount was calculated (showing the deduction from your balance) is actually a good sign - means the system has approved the payment but it's just being held for verification. Call ESD as early as possible (7:30am is best) and ask specifically about why your status changed from processing-web to pending. They can usually tell you exactly what triggered it and how long the review might take.

UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD this morning! You guys were right - it was a quarterly review flag. The agent said it was completely routine and that it got flagged because I've had consistent claims with no changes for several weeks. She pushed it through manually and said the payment should arrive in my account within 48 hours. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

I actually had good luck emailing them through the eServices message center. It took about 4-5 days to get a response, but they did eventually get back to me and resolved my issue without needing to speak to anyone. Might be worth trying while you continue attempting to reach someone by phone.

Has your daughter tried visiting a WorkSource office in person? Sometimes they can help with ESD issues or at least provide direct contacts. Not all WorkSource staff can access ESD systems, but some can and it might save a lot of phone frustration.