Called governor's office at 8:15am - ESD adjudication resolved same day after 6 week wait!
After 6 freaking weeks of silence from ESD on my unemployment claim, I was literally about to give up. Bills piling up, credit cards maxed, and nobody at the unemployment office would pick up the phone. I must have called like 50+ times over those weeks. Yesterday morning I got desperate and called the governor's office at 8:15am (tip from someone on here). Guess what? They actually answered! The person I spoke with just took some basic info and said someone from unemployment would be in touch. I figured yeah right, another empty promise. But 30 MINUTES LATER - my phone rings and it's someone from ESD! They told me my claim needed adjudication review and promised the team would call me that day. At 4pm, the adjudication specialist called, fixed whatever mysterious issue was holding things up (they mentioned something about employer response verification), and BAM - money hit my account TODAY! I'm grateful it's fixed but seriously WTF??? Why do we have to go through the GOVERNOR'S OFFICE to get basic service from ESD?? Anyone else had to go to these extremes to get your claim fixed? This system is beyond broken.
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Isabella Silva
This actually works and has been a reliable method for many people. The governor's office has a direct line to ESD management that can flag accounts for immediate review. I recommend this route to anyone who's been waiting more than 3-4 weeks with no movement. Just be polite and have your claim ID ready when you call them. Sometimes people have luck with contacting their state representatives too. The sad reality is that the standard customer service channels at ESD are completely overwhelmed still, even post-pandemic.
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Malik Robinson
•Thanks - I wish I'd known this trick 5 weeks ago! Do you happen to know if this affects future claims? Like will my account get flagged for extra scrutiny next time or something?
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Ravi Choudhury
congrats on finally getting paid!! im on week 5 of waiting and this gives me hope. whats the governors office number u called??
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Malik Robinson
•I called (360) 902-4111. Make sure you call right when they open at 8am because I think they get flooded with calls too.
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Freya Andersen
This is EXACTLY why I've been saying the whole system is designed to make people give up. They're counting on a certain percentage of legitimate claims to just walk away out of frustration. I waited 9 weeks last year before I finally got paid. Never tried the governor trick though - wish I had known!
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Omar Farouk
•I disagree that it's intentionally designed to make people give up. It's more a result of outdated systems, understaffing, and complex federal/state regulations they have to follow. The adjudication process is actually necessary to prevent fraud, which increased dramatically during the pandemic. That said, 6+ weeks is unacceptable regardless of the reason, and I'm glad OP found a workaround.
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CosmicCadet
Pro tip: If you need to speak directly with an ESD agent but can't get through on the phones, try using Claimyr. It's a service that connects you with an ESD representative usually within a few hours instead of days/weeks. I was skeptical but used it during my adjudication nightmare last month and it worked perfectly. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 and their website is claimyr.com. Definitely worth considering before waiting 6 weeks!
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Chloe Harris
•Is this actually legit? Sounds fishy that some 3rd party company can get you through when nobody else can...
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CosmicCadet
•Yes, it's legitimate. They essentially use technology to navigate the phone system for you, then connect you directly once they reach an agent. When I used it, I got a call back with an ESD rep on the line in about 2 hours. You still speak directly with ESD - Claimyr just handles the connection part.
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Diego Mendoza
I've been stuck in adjudication for 3 weeks now. My situation is a little different because I quit my job (had documentation of hostile work environment) but I'm getting really nervous about the wait. Did the adjudicator tell you anything about what was specifically holding up your claim? I'm wondering if I should gather more evidence while I wait...
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Isabella Silva
•If you quit and are claiming hostile work environment, they're definitely going to contact your former employer for their side of the story. This often causes delays because employers have 10 business days to respond. Make sure you have emails, texts, written warnings you made to HR, medical documentation if the stress affected your health, or witness statements if possible. The more documentation you have, the stronger your case will be during adjudication.
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Malik Robinson
•They were pretty vague honestly. Just said there was an "employer verification issue" that needed manual review. From what I could tell, my employer didn't respond to ESD's inquiry within the timeframe, so my claim just sat there until someone actually looked at it. Definitely call the governor's office if you hit week 4 with no movement.
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Ravi Choudhury
did u get all the back pay for the weeks u were waiting??
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Malik Robinson
•Yes! That was the best part - got paid for all 6 weeks at once. Just make sure you've been filing your weekly claims consistently even while waiting for the adjudication to complete.
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Anastasia Popova
I tried calling ESD 23 times yesterday and either got hung up on or the recording saying they're too busy. This system is a joke! We pay into unemployment insurance our whole working lives and then when we need it we can't even talk to anyone. Going to try the governor's office tomorrow.
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Malik Robinson
•I know exactly how you feel. It's so frustrating spending hours on the phone just trying to talk to an actual human. Definitely try the governor's office route. Be ready with your claim ID and a quick summary of your situation - they'll probably just take your info and promise a callback, but it seems to actually work!
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Isabella Silva
For those in adjudication, here's what's likely happening: When a claim requires adjudication, it gets assigned to a specialist who reviews all documentation, may contact your employer, and determines eligibility based on law/policy. The issue is ESD is severely backlogged on these specialist reviews, despite hiring more staff over the past year. Standard wait times currently are: - Regular UI adjudication: 4-6 weeks - Quit/Fired issues: 5-8 weeks - Complex wage disputes: 6-10 weeks The governor's office trick works because they can flag your claim for expedited review, essentially jumping the queue. State representatives can do the same. It's not fair, but it's unfortunately how the system is working right now.
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Ravi Choudhury
•this is super helpful info thx! do u work for ESD or just know alot about it??
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Isabella Silva
•I don't work for ESD, but I've been through the system multiple times and have helped several family members navigate their claims. Once you understand how the process works, it's easier to have realistic expectations and know what steps to take when things stall out.
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Chloe Harris
My adjudication took 7 weeks last month, but I never thought to call the governor's office. That's actually pretty smart. My issue was that I had two employers in my base year and one of them disputed my hours. Eventually got resolved in my favor but the wait was terrible. Glad you finally got paid!
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Malik Robinson
•Yeah the waiting is the worst part because you have no idea if it's going to be another day or another month! Did you get any kind of updates during your 7-week wait or was it complete silence like mine?
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Chloe Harris
•Complete silence. My online account just showed "adjudication in progress" for weeks with no updates. Called probably 40+ times and either couldn't get through or got someone who just told me to keep waiting. It was infuriating.
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