Claim reopened and approved but no weekly claim filing option - can't reach ESD!

This happened to me in January. The issue was that my claim was approved, but not yet fully processed in their system. It took about 5 business days after I got my approval letter before the weekly claim option appeared. Have you checked if there are any alerts or action items in your eServices dashboard? Sometimes they need additional info before enabling weekly claims.

wait did u try clicking on the "online services" tab and then "UI claim" from the dropdown? sometimes the buttons hide in weird places. also make sure ur using chrome or edge not safari, the esd site hates safari lol

The system is completely BROKEN. I had this EXACT SAME PROBLEM in November. My claim showed active but no weekly filing option. Called 47 times before getting through. Turns out they had some "flag" on my account that needed manual removal by a specialist. Of course nobody bothered to tell me or put that information anywhere on my account! They just expect us to magically know why their garbage system isn't working. You NEED to get through to an actual claims specialist - the regular agents can't fix this issue. They're probably backed up from the layoffs in the aerospace industry right now.

Yes, they backdated mine but ONLY AFTER I specifically asked them to. Make sure you mention that you've been trying to file since your approval date and couldn't because of their system error. Document every attempt you've made to contact them too - dates, times, how long you waited. The agent told me they're supposed to automatically set up backdated claims in these cases but half the time they "forget" unless you push for it.

I'm an unemployment appeals paralegal, and this is a known issue with reopened claims, especially if your original claim was from before they updated the eServices system in October 2024. What's happening is that your claim is approved in the eligibility database but there's a synchronization delay with the weekly claims portal. You need to speak with a claims center specialist who can manually enable weekly filing for your account. For the backdating issue - they are required to allow you to backfile all weeks from your approval date once the issue is fixed. Make sure to document everything as mentioned above. The technical term for this is a "system-prevented filing" case and they have specific protocols for handling it.

I went through this nightmare back in December and had to call over 200 times before finally getting through to someone who could help!! I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an ESD agent in under 15 minutes after I'd been trying for days. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 Their website is claimyr.com - it was seriously worth it for me because my situation was exactly like yours where I needed a human to fix something in the system that couldn't be resolved online. Just sharing because I wish someone had told me about this sooner!

My sister-in-law works at WorkSource and she said another option is to go to your local WorkSource office in person. They can sometimes help reset things in the system or at least use their direct line to connect you with someone at ESD who can help. Might be worth trying if you keep striking out with the phone.

One more thing to check - log out completely, clear your browser cache/cookies, and then log back in. Sometimes the eServices site caches old information and doesn't display updated options. Also, make sure you're going through the SecureAccess Washington portal and not an old bookmarked link. The direct links sometimes bypass important page elements.

UPDATE: Finally got this resolved! I ended up using the Claimyr service this morning and got connected to an agent in about 12 minutes. The agent confirmed what @unemploymenthelper said - my reopened claim was approved but had a system flag that prevented weekly filing options from appearing. They removed the flag while I was on the phone, and I was able to backfile for the weeks since my approval letter. The agent said this happens fairly often with reopened claims from before their October system update. Thanks everyone for your help!

So glad you got this resolved! I'm dealing with a similar issue right now where my claim shows active but I can't file weekly claims. Going to try the Claimyr service based on your success - 12 minutes is way better than the hours I've been spending on hold! Quick question though - did they charge you for the service or is it free? And did the agent mention anything about how to prevent this flag issue from happening again if you need to reopen in the future?

This is such valuable information! I'm saving this whole thread because I have a feeling I might need to reopen my claim in the future and now I know what to watch out for. It's ridiculous that ESD has these system sync issues but doesn't proactively notify people or fix them automatically. The fact that you had to pay a third-party service to get through to their own customer service really highlights how broken their phone system is. Thanks for sharing your experience and the specific solution - I'm sure this will help a lot of people who run into the same issue!

This is exactly the kind of comprehensive breakdown of the ESD system issues that people need to see! I work in IT support and deal with legacy system migrations regularly - what you experienced with the "system flag" preventing weekly claims filing is textbook synchronization failure between old and new databases. The fact that ESD doesn't have automated monitoring to catch and resolve these flags is honestly shocking for a system handling such critical benefits. For anyone else hitting this issue, document EVERYTHING - screenshots of your eServices dashboard showing no weekly claim option, call logs with dates/times, your approval letter date. If you do end up paying for a service like Claimyr, keep that receipt too since you're literally paying to access services you're entitled to because of their system failures. This thread is gold for anyone dealing with reopened claim issues!