Did unemployment go up in Washington - are more people filing claims with Washington ESD?

That explains why my neighbor had such a hard time getting through on the phone. Do you know if they've hired more staff to handle the increase?

They've been working on staffing up, but there's always a lag between increased demand and having trained representatives available to help claimants.

Same experience here! I spent hours trying to get through to resolve an adjudication issue.

It's so frustrating when you need help with your claim and can't reach anyone at Washington ESD.

If you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD by phone, I recently discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) which helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Made the whole process way less stressful.

Makes sense, I know several people in construction who got laid off recently and had to file for UI benefits.

That's exactly what happened to me - construction layoff in November. The whole process has been more complicated than I expected.

You're right about the adjudication backlog. When claim volume increases, it often creates delays in the review process for anything that requires manual review.

yeah my claim has been pending for over a month now with no explanation

If your claim is stuck in adjudication, you might want to try calling Washington ESD directly to check on the status. Sometimes there are simple issues that can be resolved quickly once you get through to an agent.

I've heard about the website issues. Is there a better time to try accessing the Washington ESD portal?

Early morning seems to work better, like before 8 AM. But even then it's hit or miss.

Washington ESD has been working on system upgrades to handle the increased capacity, but these things take time to implement properly.

WorkSource has been helpful, but they're also pretty busy. I had to wait two weeks to get an appointment.

Yeah, she mentioned they're booking appointments out further than usual because of the demand.

how does that work exactly? is it like a callback service?

It monitors the Washington ESD phone lines and calls you back when an agent becomes available. Saved me probably 10+ hours of trying to get through on my own.

That sounds really useful, especially with how busy Washington ESD phone lines have been lately.

Exactly right. Seasonal unemployment patterns are more pronounced this year due to various economic factors affecting different industries simultaneously.

And those seasonal workers often haven't filed for unemployment before, so they need more help navigating the Washington ESD system.

It's definitely a challenging time for both claimants and Washington ESD staff. The system works better when there's consistent, predictable volume rather than these sudden spikes.

Hopefully things will stabilize soon. In the meantime, I'm going to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier.

Both staffing and technology improvements are in progress, but these changes take time to implement effectively. In the meantime, claimants need to be patient and persistent.

Being patient is hard when you need your benefits to pay bills though.

Absolutely. The financial stress makes everything more urgent when you're dealing with Washington ESD delays.

That's rough. Are you seeing delays in the employer side of things too, like with responding to claim notices?

Yes, Washington ESD employer notices are taking longer to process as well. Everything seems backed up across the board.

I understand the stress, but try to remember that Washington ESD will process your claim. The delays are frustrating but temporary. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while waiting for initial approval.

yeah i'm keeping up with the weekly filings. just worried about bills piling up

If you need to check on your claim status urgently, definitely consider using Claimyr to get through to Washington ESD faster. Sometimes they can expedite things if there's a simple issue holding up your claim.

Good point about the comparison to 2020. The systems and processes are more robust now, but any sudden increase in volume creates bottlenecks.

Exactly. And at least now people can get through eventually, unlike the complete system failures we saw during the early pandemic.

Six weeks?! That's crazy long. Did she have any special circumstances or was it just the normal processing delays?

Just normal delays due to the high volume. Her case wasn't complicated at all, just took forever to get reviewed.

True, but that doesn't make it any easier when you're the one waiting for benefits from Washington ESD.

Definitely not trying to minimize anyone's struggles. Just saying it's a widespread issue, not something specific to Washington state.

Good reminder. I sometimes forget about the other options when I'm focused on trying to call Washington ESD directly.

The messaging system through your online account can be particularly useful for non-urgent questions that don't require immediate phone support.

Though even the messaging system seems slower to respond than usual lately.

same here, makes me feel less crazy about all the problems i've been having

Glad this discussion helped! And seriously, if you're still having trouble reaching Washington ESD, give Claimyr a try. Made such a difference for my situation.

Will definitely look into that. Thanks for the recommendation!