Called Governor's office about 8-week ESD claim delay - no response and can't get past voicemail

Governor's office is useless for this stuff. They just take messages and claim they'll forward them. I was stuck for 10 weeks last year with zero movement on my claim. What worked for me was contacting my state representative's office! They have staff dedicated to helping with ESD issues and they can sometimes light a fire under them. Google your district and reach out to them ASAP.

Your claim is likely stuck in the identity verification stage, even though it doesn't show that in your account. This is a super common issue right now with the new identity verification system ESD implemented in January 2025. I recommend three things: 1. Send a secure message through your eServices account specifically asking for status update and mentioning the 8-week wait 2. Check your spam/junk folders for ANY emails from ESD (they often end up there) 3. Try calling ESD at exactly 7:59am - right before they open Also, make sure you're still filing your weekly claims even while waiting for the initial determination!

OMG the same EXACT thing is happening to me!!!! Week 7 here and no movement. Got the monetary determination letter saying I'd get $743/week but nothing else. No requests, no messages, NADA. I called ESD like 47 times yesterday and either got busy signals or the stupid recording saying call volumes are too high. This is RIDICULOUS!!! How are we supposed to survive???

I had this issue back in February - complete silence for 6 weeks. Try using Claimyr to get through to ESD directly (claimyr.com). It's a service that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of redial hell. They have a video demo here: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 that shows how it works. I got through to an actual person in about 2 hours instead of days of trying.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS BROKEN BY DESIGN!!! They WANT you to give up so they don't have to pay you! I waited 14 weeks last year with zero communication. Then suddenly got a denial for "failure to respond" to documents I NEVER RECEIVED!!! Had to appeal and wait another 8 weeks. The ESD is a joke and the Governor's office doesn't care about working people.

ESD specialist here - what you're experiencing is unfortunately common but fixable. There are several "silent holds" that can be placed on claims that don't show up in your eServices portal. The most common ones are: 1. Employer response pending - Your last employer has 10 business days to respond to your claim 2. Quarterly wage verification - Happens when you file near the end of a quarter 3. Identity verification queue - Backlogs can be 4-8 weeks currently Best approach is to contact ESD directly. If you can't get through by phone, try the "Technical Support" option instead of claims - they can often transfer you to the right department after verifying your identity.

have u tried going to the worksorce center in person? sometimes they can help u see whats going on with ur claim. my freind did this and found out there was a hold bcus they needed pay stubs from his last job.

I don't know if this will help you but I had a similar situation last fall. I finally called my local state representative's office and explained I was about to be evicted. Their constituent services person contacted ESD directly and my claim was processed within 3 days after 9 weeks of nothing. Worth a try at least.

Has anyone had any luck with the online chat support thing on the ESD website? I tried it yesterday but gave up after being #147 in queue for like 2 hours.

Just an update - after trying all the usual routes with no success, I ended up: 1. Using Claimyr to get through to ESD 2. Finding out my claim was stuck in identity verification 3. Having them escalate it to a specialist They resolved it that day and my payments started processing the next business day. Sometimes you just need to get a real person on the phone who can actually see what's happening behind the scenes.