Claim stuck on 'pending' for 4 weeks after reopening - when to escalate to ESD?

4 weeks is definitely longer than usual for a reopened claim. Did you have any changes in your work situation compared to your previous claim? Sometimes that triggers extra verification steps that can cause delays.

Before you contact the mayor (which probably won't help much), there are several more effective escalation options. First, try contacting your state representative's office - they often have dedicated staff who can help with ESD issues. Their constituent services can sometimes get answers much faster than you can alone. Also, check your ESD account for any alerts or requests for additional information - sometimes they need documents but the notification gets lost. If you're seeing "pending" status rather than "adjudication" or "disqualified," it usually means they're still processing rather than investigating a specific issue with your claim. The temp job between claims could definitely trigger additional review, as the system needs to verify your hours and earnings.

omg the SAME THING happened to me back in october!!! stuck on pending for like 5 weeks and i was freaking out about rent. turns out they needed wage verification for some random job i had but never told me!! check your notices section on eservices, might be something there they need

Don't call the mayor LOL! They'll just redirect you right back to ESD. Trust me, I've been through this frustration cycle before. What you're experiencing with the reopened claim is unfortunately common, especially if you had earnings between claims. I STRONGLY recommend using Claimyr to get through to an actual ESD agent. I was in the EXACT same boat last month - stuck on pending for weeks with no explanation. Used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to an agent who fixed my issue in 10 minutes! Apparently there was a simple flag on my account they needed to remove. Check out their video to see how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 Seriously saved my sanity after weeks of trying to get through on my own.

ur better off contacting ur state rep than mayor tbh... mayors cant do anything with state agencies but ur rep can. i emailed mine and got a call back in like 2 days and they fixed my claim that was stuck for 6 weeks

Reopened claims with interim employment often require manual review, which is causing your delay. Based on my experience working with claimants, here's what I suggest: 1. Check your Uploaded Documents section in eServices to ensure all requested verification was properly received 2. Make sure the temp job is correctly reported in your claim history 3. Use the secure message feature to specifically ask about the status (reference the weeks that are pending) 4. Continue filing weekly claims during this waiting period The current ESD system doesn't always notify claimants when there's a verification issue. The fact that you had a temp job between claims is almost certainly the reason for the holdup. They need to verify those earnings and ensure they're properly calculated in your benefit amount. Also, contacting your state representative is definitely more effective than the mayor's office, as unemployment is a state program.

has anyone actually tried calling the mayor about ESD??!! my friend said her cousin did that and got blacklisted and her claim was denied lolol probably just a rumor but id be scared to try

UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD this morning!!! Used the Claimyr service that someone suggested here and it actually worked - got connected to a real person in about 20 minutes. Turns out there was an issue with how my temp job was being verified. The agent was able to override something in the system and said my payments should process within 48 hours. What a relief! Thank you all for your suggestions. I'll update again when/if the money actually hits my account.

I've noticed that reopened claims in 2025 seem to be taking much longer than they did last year. I think ESD might be short-staffed again or maybe they changed something in their verification process. Glad to hear you got it resolved though!

FINAL UPDATE: Just got the notification that 4 weeks of payments were processed and will be deposited tomorrow! Total relief. For anyone else stuck in pending status - definitely try to speak with an actual ESD agent, it made all the difference.

Congratulations on getting your claim resolved! Your experience really highlights how broken the ESD phone system is - the fact that you had to use a third-party service just to reach a human who could fix something in minutes is ridiculous. It's great that you kept updating this thread though, because your story will definitely help other people who find themselves in the same situation. Four weeks of back payments must be such a huge relief after running low on savings. Thanks for sharing what worked!