Contacted Governor's office about stuck ESD claim - was it worth it?

yep i did this last june! took about 10 days but someone from 'executive review' at ESD actually called me. my claim was fixed the next day after 3 months of nothing

I've helped several clients navigate ESD issues, and contacting the Governor's office can be effective, but it's not always the fastest solution. The office typically forwards your concern to ESD's Executive Review team, who will prioritize your case, but they still have a significant backlog. Two other options that might get faster results: 1. Contact your state representative or senator's office - their constituent services can sometimes get quicker action than going through the Governor. 2. If you absolutely need to speak with someone at ESD directly, I've seen good results with Claimyr (claimyr.com). They've got a system that helps connect you with an actual ESD agent without the endless redials. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 Whichever route you choose, make sure to have your claim ID, social security number, and a clear timeline of your issue ready. This helps expedite the resolution process.

DONT WASTE UR TIME!!!! I emailed the governor TWO TIMES and never heard ANYTHING back!!! The whole system is designed to make us give up. They WANT you to stop trying so they don't have to pay!!!! And the ESD phone system? TOTAL JOKE. Been trying for 4 weeks straight and they ALWAYS hang up on me!!!!

I had success contacting the Governor's office in January 2025 after my claim was stuck in adjudication for 6 weeks. I made sure to include these specific details in my message: 1. My claim ID number 2. Exact dates of all my interactions with ESD 3. Documentation of how many call attempts I'd made 4. Explanation of financial hardship (was facing eviction) 5. Specific request for "Executive Review" I received a call from ESD exactly 8 days later, and my claim was processed within 48 hours after that call. The representative explained that my employer had initially contested the claim but then failed to provide supporting documentation, which caused the delay. Different approach than contacting your state legislators, but both can work.

i know this sounds weird but have you tried faxing ESD? my neighbor works for state govt (not ESD) and told me they still prioritize faxes over emails cause of some ancient workflow thing. i faxed them from a ups store and got a call back 3 days later when i hadnt heard anything for weeks. just another idea if the governor thing doesn't work

I've been through this exact situation last month. I tried everything - calling ESD countless times (always disconnected), emailing, messaging through eServices (no response for weeks), and yes, contacting the Governor's office. Here's what actually worked: I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to finally get through to an ESD agent. Their system basically navigates the phone maze for you and gets you in the callback queue. I was skeptical but watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3) and decided it was worth trying. The ESD agent I finally spoke with was able to see that my claim had an identity verification flag that nobody had reviewed yet. They escalated it, and my claim was approved two days later. Sometimes you just need to get an actual human to look at your claim.

My cousin works for the legislative branch and said they get ESD escalations all the time. She said contacting your STATE SENATOR is actually faster than the governor because they have dedicated ESD liaisons for each district. Just google "[your city] WA state senator" and there should be a constituent services contact form.

Update: I wanted to let everyone know what ended up working! I tried multiple approaches based on all your helpful suggestions: 1. Sent a detailed follow-up to the Governor's office with the specific format recommended 2. Contacted my state senator through their website 3. Used Claimyr to actually get through to an ESD agent The Claimyr service got me to an agent first (same day), who explained my claim had a verification issue that wasn't being processed. They flagged it for review. Two days later, I got an email from my state senator's office saying they'd contacted ESD on my behalf. This morning, my claim status changed from "adjudication" to "paid" with all my back weeks! Not sure which contact finally did the trick, but I think the combination of approaches created enough pressure to get someone to actually look at my claim. Thank you all for your suggestions! For anyone else stuck in ESD limbo, don't give up!