Appeal stuck in limbo after wrongful termination - ESD never responded

this happened to me too!! my appeal took like 3 months before i got a hearing date. the esd system is completely overwhelmed right now and theyre prioritizing new claims. its so frustrating bc they don't tell u anything while ur waiting. the only way i found out anything was when i finally got through to an actual person

Appeals are severely backlogged right now, but there are several steps you can take to potentially get movement on your case: 1. Contact the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) directly at 360-407-2700 or 800-366-0955. They handle the actual appeal hearings, not ESD, and might be able to tell you if your appeal has been assigned a docket number yet. 2. Submit a formal status request through eServices specifically asking for your appeal status and hearing date (use the "Appeals" category in the dropdown). 3. If it's been more than 60 days, you should absolutely contact your state representative. They often have dedicated staff who can expedite unemployment issues. 4. Make sure you're continuing to file weekly claims during this entire process, even while waiting for appeal resolution. Your situation is exactly why appeals exist - you were cleared by the investigating agency, which is strong evidence. When you finally get a hearing, bring all documentation showing the regulatory agency found the allegations unsubstantiated.

I went through almost the exact same thing last year. Fired from my job in healthcare because of a complaint, later cleared by the investigating board, but my former employer fought my UI claim. I actually ended up getting backdated benefits after my appeal hearing, but it took FOUR MONTHS from when I filed the appeal until I got a hearing date. The system is ridiculous. One thing that helped me - I filed a complaint with the state ombudsman about the lack of response. Within a week, I suddenly got my hearing notice! I think that lit a fire under somebody.

After dealing with ESD for years (unfortunately), I can tell you their appeals system is incredibly frustrating. However, there's a service called Claimyr that helped me actually reach a human at ESD when I was in a similar situation. They basically call ESD for you and get you connected with an agent without the wait. I was skeptical at first, but it worked when nothing else did. You can check them out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 showing how it works. In my case, I finally got through to someone who could tell me my appeal status and escalate my case since it had been pending so long. For your specific case, you'll want to push for info about whether your appeal has been assigned to OAH yet, and if not, request expedition based on financial hardship.

does anyones elses eservices account show NOTHING about their appeal at all?? like ive been waiting 6 weeks and when i log in i see my denied claim but NOTHING about an appeal status. makes me think they never even got it???

THE SYSTEM IS DELIBERATELY DESIGNED TO MAKE PEOPLE GIVE UP!!!!! I waited 5 MONTHS for my appeal hearing and they NEVER responded to any messages. They hope people will just go away and stop trying. Once you get a hearing with the judge, you'll probably win based on what you said about being cleared by the agency, but they make the process as painful as possible. YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK FOLKS

Have you tried contacting your state representative? I was stuck in appeals limbo for months when someone on Reddit suggested I contact my district rep. Their office has a staff person who specializes in ESD issues - I had movement on my case within a week after they got involved. Google "WA state representative finder" to locate yours based on your address.

just remember to keep filing ur weekly claims even tho ur waiting for appeal!! if u win the appeal they'll only pay u for weeks u submitted claims for

One more recommendation since you mentioned you were fired due to allegations that were later found to be unsubstantiated - make sure you've uploaded all documentation showing you were cleared of wrongdoing to your eServices account. Specifically: 1. The official findings document from the regulatory agency 2. Any correspondence showing you requested an internal investigation from your employer 3. Documentation showing the timeline between your termination and when you were cleared At your eventual hearing, the Administrative Law Judge will focus heavily on whether there was misconduct. Having clear documentation that an official investigation cleared you is extremely valuable evidence.