Anyone know typical ESD BAM response time? Stuck waiting for payment approval

omg the BAM took forever for me!! like 3 weeks and then they randomly approved it without even telling me. just kept checking my eservices account every day

The Benefit Accuracy Measurement (BAM) is a quality control program that randomly selects claims for in-depth review. It's not actually something you need to "wait" for - it's more of an audit that happens in the background. If your payment is pending because of BAM, that's unusual. Are you sure it's not regular adjudication you're waiting for? BAM typically doesn't hold up payments. I'd recommend checking your Notices/Letters section in eServices to see if there's any specific information about what's actually holding up your claim. BAM is usually invisible to claimants unless you're specifically selected for an interview.

When I had my claim last year I got caught in some kind of review too but it wasn't called BAM it was just "additional review" or something. Took like 10 days and then magically money appeared. The whole system is a mess! I swear they just make up new procedures and don't tell anyone how they work.

I've been through the BAM process twice. Here's what you need to know: 1. BAM is a random audit process required by federal law 2. Only about 1-2% of claims get selected for BAM review 3. It CAN delay your payments if you're selected early in your claim 4. The typical timeframe is 10-21 business days for completion 5. You might get a call from a BAM auditor asking additional questions The most important thing is to respond immediately to any requests for information. If they're missing something, your review will take much longer. Unfortunately, there's no way to expedite the process - it just has to run its course. If you're approaching 3 weeks with no contact from a BAM auditor, I would definitely try to reach an agent to check if something else might be going on with your claim.

FYI - I used Claimyr last month when I was stuck in adjudication and couldn't get through to ESD. It's a service that holds your place in line with ESD and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of calling and hanging up. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 The agent I spoke with was able to tell me exactly what was happening with my claim and when to expect payment. Much better than guessing what's going on!

I HATE THE ESD SYSTEM SO MUCH!!! They make everything as complicated as possible and then don't answer their phones when you need help!!! I went through something similar last year and had to wait 6 WEEKS before getting paid!!! No explanation, no communication, just suddenly got all my back payments. The whole department needs to be FIRED and replaced with people who actually CARE about helping unemployed people!!!!

Quick update for you - I just checked with a colleague who works with ESD claims regularly. She said there's been a recent system update that's causing some claims to show as "BAM review pending" when they're actually in regular adjudication. It's a known issue they're working on fixing. The good news is that if you haven't received any specific BAM audit requests (which would come by mail and phone), you're probably just in regular processing. The timeframe for that is typically 2-3 weeks, so you should see movement soon. If it goes beyond 3 weeks, definitely try to speak with an agent.

My friend had his claim stuck for like a month and then found out it was because he answered one question wrong on his weekly claim. Something about being "able and available" for work. Might be worth double checking all your weekly claims to make sure you didn't accidentally say something that triggered a review?

anyone else notice how the esd website always seems to have "scheduled maintenance" right when you need to file your weekly claim? happened to me again last sunday 🙄

UPDATE: My claim was approved this morning! The status changed from "BAM review pending" to "paid" overnight. I checked my bank account and the payment is pending deposit. Looks like it took exactly 14 days for the review to complete. Thanks everyone for your help and advice! For anyone else stuck in this situation, it seems like the timeframe is about 2 weeks if you're caught in this review process.