Can't reach Washington Unemployment? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
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
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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Ava Martinez
I had to appeal twice - lost the first hearing but won at the Board of Review level. Don't give up even if the first appeal doesn't go your way.
What was different about the Board of Review hearing?
Ava Martinez
•They actually looked at all the evidence more carefully. The first hearing officer seemed to just believe the employer without question.
Try calling Washington ESD one more time to see if you can get this sorted out without an appeal. I know the phone lines are terrible but sometimes you get lucky. If you can't get through, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier might be worth trying - anything to avoid the stress of an appeal if it's not necessary.
You're right, I should exhaust all options before going the appeal route. I'll try Claimyr tomorrow if I can't get through on my own.
Good plan. Even if you do end up having to appeal, at least you'll know you tried everything. Good luck!
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Joshua Wood
If your claim is still processing after 3 weeks, I'd definitely try to get in touch with Washington ESD. That Claimyr thing people mentioned might be worth trying if you can't get through the regular way.
Logan Scott
•I'm getting close to that 3 week mark, so I might have to try it. Thanks for all the advice everyone!
Justin Evans
•Good luck! Let us know how it goes if you do end up contacting them.
Emily Parker
The whole system is just slow. I think they're understaffed and dealing with too many claims. It's frustrating but unfortunately normal.
Ezra Collins
•Yeah, the pandemic really messed up their processing times and they never fully recovered.
At least the weekly claims process pretty quickly once your initial claim is approved.
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StarGazer101
Final thought - while you're waiting, it might be worth starting your job search activities if you haven't already. Washington ESD requires job search activities once you start receiving benefits, so getting a head start can't hurt.
Ava Thompson
•Good idea! I'll start logging my job search activities even though I'm not approved yet.
StarGazer101
•Exactly. It shows you're taking the requirements seriously and being proactive.
Best of luck with your claim! Keep us posted on how it goes. The waiting is tough but you're doing everything right by filing your weekly claims and staying on top of it.
Ava Thompson
•Thanks so much everyone! This thread has been incredibly helpful and reassuring.
That's what this community is for! We're all here to help each other through the unemployment process.
Anastasia Smirnova
Since you're new to this, also remember that unemployment is taxable income. You can choose to have taxes withheld or pay them later. Just something to keep in mind.
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Sofia Torres
•Oh right, I didn't think about taxes. I'll probably have them withheld to avoid a big bill later.
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Sean O'Brien
•Smart choice. I forgot about taxes my first time and got hit with a big bill at tax time.
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Zara Shah
The whole process really isn't that bad once you get started. The hardest part is just taking that first step and filing. You'll figure it out as you go.
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Sofia Torres
•Thanks for the encouragement! I'm going to start the application today.
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