Best phone number to reach an actual ESD agent (desperate for human help)

their main number is 800-318-6022 but u gotta call exactly at 8am and press 4-2-2 during the menu. even then its hit or miss. sometimes they just disconnect u anyway :

I was in the same situation last month. Here's what worked for me - call 833-572-8400 (the job search verification line) and then when the menu starts, press 1, then 3, then 9. Sometimes this routes you to a different call queue with shorter wait times. Also, Wednesdays and Thursdays seem to have lower call volumes than Mondays and Tuesdays in my experience. Make sure your husband has his claim ID, SSN, and the exact dates of his claim issues ready to go when he finally gets through.

i had the EXACT same problem last month and wasted 2 weeks trying to get through. my cousin told me about this service called Claimyr that gets you through to an actual ESD agent without the wait. i was super skeptical but desperate and it actually worked! they connected me to an agent in like 15 minutes when i had been trying for days with no luck. they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 and their website is claimyr.com if you wanna check it out. totally worth it to solve my adjudication issue.

The ESD phone system is DELIBERATELY DESIGNED to keep people from talking to agents! They don't have enough staff so they use the phone system to block most callers. I've been dealing with them for months on an appeal and it's a complete joke. I finally had to contact my state representative who has a staff person dedicated to ESD issues - THAT'S how bad the system is! Try emailing your district's rep and explain the situation. Sometimes they can get ESD to call you directly.

Here's my step-by-step advice as someone who worked with the unemployment system for years: 1. Try calling the main line (800-318-6022) at 7:58am - their system sometimes opens slightly before 8. 2. If that fails, try the strategy of calling mid-week (Wed-Thurs) in the late afternoon (3-4pm) when volumes sometimes decrease. 3. When you do reach someone, immediately specify that this is a claim status issue pending for 4+ weeks, as this categorizes it as an urgent issue. 4. Request that they escalate the claim to an adjudicator while you're on the phone. 5. If all else fails, your husband should file a formal complaint through the ESD website under 'Contact Us' and select 'File a Complaint.' These are tracked separately and often receive priority response. I hope this helps get his claim moving forward.

One other thing nobody has mentioned - make sure your husband checks his spam folder regularly. Sometimes ESD sends emails requesting additional information, and if he doesn't respond within their timeframe (usually 5 business days), it can keep his claim stuck in pending status. They're terrible about communicating this clearly.