Can't get through to Washington ESD unemployment - phone lines always busy

It's ridiculous that they expect us to resolve issues by phone when you literally can't get through to anyone!

I heard they only have like 50 phone lines for the entire state which is insane

I've tried the 8am thing multiple times but still can't get through. Which number should I be calling for a flagged weekly claim?

For weekly claim issues, use the main customer service line. But honestly, even that's hit or miss right now.

Wait, how does that work exactly? Do they just keep calling until they get through?

Yeah basically they handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when they reach an agent. Way better than sitting there for hours hitting redial.

That sounds too good to be true... what's the catch?

I swear they did design it that way. Make it so hard that people just give up on their claims.

That's probably not intentional, just underfunded and understaffed. But the result is the same - claimants can't get help when they need it.

I thought about that but the closest one to me is like 45 minutes away and I'm not sure they can actually fix claim issues there.

I went to WorkSource last month for something else and they said they can't access individual claim details, only help with general questions.

Same boat here. It's so stressful not knowing when or if you'll get your benefits.

Have you tried the secure messaging system on your ESD account? Sometimes that works better than calling.

I sent a message 2 weeks ago and no response yet. They say it takes 7-10 business days but apparently that's not accurate either.

I definitely recommend it. The peace of mind of knowing someone is actually working on getting you through is huge.

How much does something like that cost though? I'm already not getting benefits...

I honestly don't remember the exact cost but it was way less than I expected. And compared to missing weeks of benefits while trying to get through on my own, it paid for itself.

147 times?! That's insane. How long did that take you?

About 3 days of non-stop calling during business hours. My thumb was sore from hitting redial so much lol

That's dedication! What did you find out about your claim?

Yeah I think they cut staff but didn't reduce the call volume. Recipe for disaster.

The call volume is definitely higher than their capacity to handle it. They really need to hire more agents or improve the online systems.

That's good to know! I'll ask for that if I ever actually reach someone.

Most agents aren't allowed to give out direct extensions anymore unfortunately. Policy changed a few years ago.

A spreadsheet?? You're more organized than me but that's so depressing to see it laid out like that.

Yeah it is pretty depressing. But at least I have documentation if I need to escalate this somehow.

I thought about that but wasn't sure if they actually help with individual cases or just policy stuff.

My rep's office helped me with a Social Security issue once, so they might be able to help with ESD too.

Worth a shot at this point. Can't be worse than the current situation.

So true! They demand we follow all these rules but can't provide basic customer service.

And if we miss a weekly claim deadline, we're out of luck. But they can take weeks to fix their mistakes.

That's amazing! I'm definitely going to look into that. Two hours vs weeks of trying on my own is a no-brainer.

Did they say what caused the flag on your account?

It was some kind of identity verification issue that should have been resolved automatically but got stuck in the system. Agent fixed it in like 5 minutes once we were connected.

Interesting observation! I'll try Tuesday morning next week.

Makes sense that Mondays and Fridays would be worse. More people probably calling on those days.

Exactly. This isn't just an inconvenience - people have rent and groceries to pay for.

That's what's so frustrating. The system is supposed to be a safety net but when you can't access it, you're left hanging.

Three weeks though... that's a long time to wait when you need benefits to pay bills.

Oh absolutely. I had to borrow money from family to get by. Not everyone has that option though.

Agreed! It's frustrating that we have to crowdsource solutions like this, but I'm grateful for the community support.

This is what forums are for - real people helping each other when the official channels fail.