Best times to call ESD to reach an actual agent? Tried governor's office with no luck

DONT BOTHER WITH GOVERNORS OFFICE!!! They dont care about us regular folks trying to get our benefits. I tried calling at 7:59am right when they open and still got the hang up message. its all rigged to keep us from getting OUR MONEY!!!

Yeah I'm starting to feel that way too. Did you ever manage to get through? I'm down to my last $200 and freaking out.

From my experience, the best time to call ESD is Tuesday or Wednesday between 8:15-9:00am. Mondays are always swamped with weekend claims, and Fridays they seem to have fewer agents working. I also found that calling from a different phone number sometimes helps - I think they might have some system that recognizes repeat callers and puts them at the end of the queue. Don't give up!

Thank you! I'll try calling on Wednesday morning. Did they resolve your issue when you finally got through?

Yes, they did! It took about 25 minutes on hold after getting through the initial menu, but the agent was actually really helpful when I finally connected. My adjudication was resolved the next day.

lol good luck. been trying for 5 weeks. my cousin said to try at exactly 3:45pm cuz thats when they come back from break or something idk worth a shot i guess

The governor's office isn't equipped to handle unemployment claim issues - they just redirect you back to ESD. For adjudication issues specifically, you should try these steps:\n\n1. Send a detailed message through your eServices account\n2. Try calling at 8:05am (right after they open but after the initial rush)\n3. Check that you've uploaded all required documentation \n4. Make sure you're continuing to file weekly claims while waiting\n\nAlso, I had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent when I was dealing with a similar issue. They have a system that waits on hold for you and calls you back when an agent answers. Saved me hours of frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3

Thank you for the detailed advice! I've been sending messages in eServices but haven't gotten any replies. I'll definitely try calling at 8:05am tomorrow. That Claimyr thing sounds interesting - did you have to wait long when you used it?

I still had to wait about 35 minutes, but the difference was I didn't have to actively sit there with the phone to my ear. Their system just called me when an agent was available. Much better than getting disconnected repeatedly.

I had a similar experience last month with my standby status issue. What worked for me was calling exactly at 8:07am (not kidding about the exact time) on a Wednesday. I think most people try right at 8:00am, so the system gets overwhelmed immediately. Waiting those extra few minutes made the difference. \n\nAlso, make sure you're selecting the right options in the phone menu - sometimes the adjudication department has a different queue than general questions. For me it was option 2, then 3, then 1 if I remember correctly.

lol everyone has a different 'magic time' they swear by. just shows how broken the whole system is.

You're not wrong - it shouldn't be this complicated. But when you're desperate, you try everything, right?

my sister works for DSHS (not ESD but still gov office) and she said all state offices are super short-staffed right now. theres like a hiring freeze or something? anyway she said wed/thurs are usually better than mon/tues and definitely not friday cuz people call out on fridays alot. good luck!

Have you tried contacting your state representative? I was stuck in adjudication for 6 weeks with no movement, then I emailed my district rep with my claim details and they reached out to ESD on my behalf. Had my issue resolved within 3 days after that. Worth a shot!

I never thought of that! Do you just find them on the state government website?

Yep! Just google

Just checking back - were you able to get through to ESD? I hope some of these suggestions helped!

Actually yes! I tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned and got through to an agent yesterday. They told me my adjudication was held up because they needed proof of my last day worked, which I thought I'd already submitted. The agent helped me upload it correctly and said my claim should be processed in 72 hours. Fingers crossed! Thanks everyone for the advice.