One thing nobody's mentioned yet - if your severance is paid out biweekly, you might actually qualify for partial UI benefits in some weeks depending on the amount. When you file your weekly claim, the system calculates if your earnings (including severance) exceed your weekly benefit amount plus $5. If your earnings are less than that threshold, you could receive a partial payment for that week.

Don't forget that in addition to your regular unemployment benefits, you might also qualify for the extra $25 per dependent per week if you have kids. Doesn't change the advice about filing immediately, but worth knowing when budgeting for after your severance ends!

one time i claimed like 6 weeks of PFML all at once and the money showed up all together like $7500 it was crazy lol. took about 9 days to process tho

To summarize for anyone else who might be confused about this issue in the future: 1. PFML (Paid Family Medical Leave) allows retroactive claiming of multiple weeks at once 2. Regular UI (Unemployment Insurance) requires weekly claims filed on time 3. When claiming multiple PFML weeks, payment typically comes as one lump sum 4. Processing time is usually 5-10 business days but can take longer 5. Keep all your medical documentation handy in case verification is requested Hope this helps clarify things!

One more thing to check - log into your eServices account and look at your payment history tab. Sometimes it will show pending payments there even if nothing has been deposited yet. This can give you a heads up that money is in the pipeline. Also, if you set up direct deposit recently, the first payment sometimes comes as a debit card instead. Worth checking if they mailed you a card.

By the way, did you upload your ID verification documents? Sometimes claims get stuck even when they say Complete because they're still waiting for ID verification. Check if there's any alerts about that on your account!!!

has anyone noticed how the esd fraud dept seems to flag way more claims than before? i swear theyre just trying to save money by making the process so frustrating that people give up. my neighbor waited 9 weeks for his claim to clear the fraud dept and he works for the state government! makes no sense

FINAL UPDATE: My claim is FINALLY out of fraud review! The supervisor called me yesterday and removed the hold. She said they've been overwhelmed with cases and apologized for the delay. All my weeks are now processing for payment and I should receive the backpay within 3 business days. For anyone else stuck in fraud review purgatory - being able to actually speak to someone was the key. Thank you all for your advice and support through this nightmare!

This entire system is BROKEN!! I had my claim flagged FOUR TIMES last year for absolutely no reason. Each time I had to jump through hoops to prove I'm really me. Meanwhile I couldn't pay rent and nearly got evicted. And guess what? The landlord doesn't care that ESD's system is messed up! They just want their money! The fraud department will promise you the moon but don't hold your breath. Document EVERYTHING and be prepared to call them every single day until it's fixed.

UPDATE: For anyone following this thread or experiencing similar issues - ESD just released a statement acknowledging the problem with their fraud detection system. They're implementing a fix over the next 3-5 business days and have added additional staff to the fraud department. Claims flagged by this specific error should be prioritized for review. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even if payments are paused.

i tried claimyr after seeing it mentioned here. just wanted to say it actually worked for getting through to esd. waited like 15 min instead of never getting through at all. agent fixed my issue with missing work history that was holding up payment. the chat works for some people but if you need actual esd this was faster

forgot to say in my last comment - my issue was similar to yours, needed to submit verification documents. the worksource chat told me what docs i needed but couldnt actually fix my claim status, needed ESD for that part

Yes, call your district's state representatives directly. You can find who represents you by entering your address on the legislature website. Explain your situation, the timeline, and the financial hardship you're facing. Be specific about how long you've been waiting and what steps you've already taken. They typically have staff dedicated to helping constituents with state agencies. In King County, they're very familiar with ESD issues.

Update: I took several pieces of advice from this thread. I used Claimyr to get through to ESD (it actually worked!) and spoke with a tier 2 agent who explained my claim was flagged because my former employer contested it. The agent helped me understand what additional documentation I needed to provide. I also contacted my state representative's office, who said they'd follow up with ESD if it's not resolved in the next week. Thanks everyone for the advice - I feel like I'm finally making progress instead of just waiting helplessly.

To address your specific situation: When you have an employer information error that's causing an eligibility issue, you have several options: 1. Continue trying to call ESD at 833-572-8400 during less busy times (early morning is best) 2. Use the Legislative Hotline as suggested (1-800-562-6000) 3. Consider a service like Claimyr if the above doesn't work 4. Submit a formal appeal of the ineligibility determination Regarding the last option - you'll receive a formal determination letter explaining why you're ineligible. You have the right to appeal this determination within 30 days. In your appeal, clearly explain that there was an error in the employer information you provided and specify what the correct information should be. Appeals are reviewed by a different department and can sometimes be a faster way to get errors corrected. In the meantime, continue filing your weekly claims even while showing as ineligible. Once the employer information is corrected, you'll be eligible for back payments for weeks you claimed properly.

One more important thing - make sure you're thoroughly documenting every attempt to contact ESD. Keep a log with dates, times, and method of contact (phone, message, etc.). If you end up needing to file an appeal for any benefit delays, this documentation will help show you were making good faith efforts to correct the problem. Also, when you do speak with someone, get their name and ID number if possible, and ask them to note in your file that you've been trying to contact ESD about this issue for [however many] days.

UPDATE: I just got through to ESD using the Claimyr service someone suggested! The agent confirmed that my overpayment does qualify for the new waiver program. Apparently there was a glitch in their system that caused people who worked part-time in 2023 to be incorrectly flagged for overpayments even though they reported earnings correctly. This is exactly what happened to me! The agent sent me the special waiver form for this situation and marked my account as under review so collections will be paused for at least 60 days. She said they're prioritizing cases where the overpayment was clearly their error. What a relief! Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.

im so confused abt all this... i got a $3200 overpayment notice but mine was from PUA not regular unemployment... does anyone know if this waiver thing applies to PUA overpayments too??

Following up on my earlier comment - those texts you mentioned to your coworker about being surprised by the layoff could be very valuable evidence. Contemporaneous communications (made at the time of the event, before you knew there would be a dispute) are given significant weight by many judges. Also, definitely mention the unfinished project. The fact that you were actively engaged in ongoing work supports your position that separation wasn't planned on your part. One more thing to consider: if your employer is claiming you quit, they should be able to explain the process of your resignation. Ask questions like: - Who did I submit my resignation to? - Was it verbal or written? - What reason did I allegedly give? - What was the notice period I allegedly gave? Often employers who fabricate a quit scenario haven't thought through these details, and inconsistencies in their answers can help your case.

hey did u do ur weekly claims even tho ur appealing? my friend didnt and lost all his backpay when he won his appeal