Do ESD adjudicators actually work weekends? Governor's office says yes

Yes, ESD adjudicators CAN work weekends, but that doesn't mean they ALL do or that they do it EVERY weekend. From my experience working with the system (I used to work in HR and dealt with unemployment claims), they typically bring in weekend staff during high-volume periods or when they have extreme backlogs. Right now, they're probably prioritizing based on filing date and complexity of cases, not just working through them all on weekends. My advice is to keep checking your eServices account daily and make sure you continue filing your weekly claims even while in adjudication.

Thank you for explaining. I'm definitely continuing to file weekly claims. Do you have any idea what a typical timeframe is for adjudication these days? When I filed back in 2020 it took 3 weeks, now I'm approaching 7 weeks and nothing.

mine got aproved on a sunday! so they defintely work weeknds sometimes. but i think its not all of them, jst some. hang in there!

That gives me a little hope! Thanks for sharing. I'll keep checking even on weekends then.

ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE. This is just another LIE from the government to keep us quiet!!! I've been stuck in adjudication for THREE MONTHS and have NEVER seen any movement on weekends. The system is completely BROKEN and they just tell us whatever they think will shut us up. I check my account EVERY SINGLE DAY including weekends and the last actual update happened on a Tuesday afternoon. Governor's office will say ANYTHING to get you off the phone. They don't care about regular people at all!!!

Three months?? That's insane! Have you tried contacting your state representative? That's what finally worked for me.

Yep, contacted TWO representatives and got generic responses from both saying they \

I actually think it might depend on the current backlog and staffing situation. During my adjudication period in January, I noticed my claim status changed on a Saturday morning. I specifically remember because I was surprised to see it update on a weekend. However, when I called to ask a question the following Monday, the agent mentioned they had been conducting special weekend sessions to address the post-holiday backlog. So while they can and sometimes do work weekends, I don't think it's standard practice - more like special overtime periods when they're falling behind.

They might be authorized but that doesn't mean much. I filed for unemployment back in November and my claim got stuck in adjudication for nearly 9 weeks. I tried calling constantly but could never get through - always the same message about high call volume. My sister-in-law told me about this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that basically calls ESD for you and gets you connected to an agent. I was skeptical but desperate so I tried it. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. It actually worked - got through to someone who could see my file, and suddenly my adjudication was completed three days later. Might be worth trying if you're as desperate as I was.

Thanks for the tip! I'm definitely getting desperate enough to try anything at this point. Did they tell you why your claim was stuck for so long when you finally got through?

Yes - turns out there was a simple verification issue they needed from me, but the letter requesting it got lost in the mail! So my claim was just sitting there waiting for information I didn't even know they needed. The agent was able to take the info over the phone and move things forward right away.

I work in adjacent government services (not ESD directly), but I can tell you that most state agencies have staff authorized for overtime/weekend work during backlogs. However, this is generally limited to certain employees who volunteer for it, and there are budget constraints on how much overtime can be approved. \n\nFor ESD specifically, adjudicators are specialized positions requiring significant training, so only those qualified individuals can process claims regardless of when they're working. The weekend crews are typically much smaller than weekday staff.\n\nOne important thing to understand: adjudication can be delayed for many reasons beyond just waiting for an adjudicator to review your case. Often they're waiting for employer responses, identity verification, or other documentation. If anything is missing, your case might be in a holding pattern regardless of whether adjudicators are working weekends.

That makes a lot of sense, thank you. Is there any way to find out if they're waiting for something from me specifically? My eServices account doesn't show any pending issues or required documents.

If there's nothing showing in your eServices account under

my cousin works for esd (not an adjudicator tho) and she says they do sometimes have weekend shifts but its totally voluntary and paid overtime. not many people sign up for it so the weekend team is super small. she also said they prioritize the oldest claims first so if ur at 7 weeks ur probably getting close to the top of the pile!!

That's actually really helpful insider info, thank you! Gives me hope that I might be getting close to resolution.

Just to follow up on this thread - I checked with a colleague who currently works with ESD, and they confirmed that for 2025, they've been authorized for weekend adjudication work through at least June due to higher than normal claim volumes. However, they're primarily focusing on claims that are 8+ weeks old, so at 7 weeks you might be approaching that threshold. They're also prioritizing cases where financial hardship has been documented, so it might be worth uploading a hardship statement to your documents section in eServices if you haven't already.

I had no idea you could upload a hardship statement! I'll definitely do that today. Would you happen to know what specific information should be included in it?

Yes - you want to include: 1) How long you've been waiting for benefits, 2) Specific financial hardships you're experiencing (risk of eviction, utility shutoffs, inability to afford medications, etc.), 3) Any depleted resources or emergency measures you've already taken, and 4) Any dependents affected. Keep it factual and concise - about one page. Upload it under

Im in week 10 of adjudication and seriously about to lose my mind too. Was told by 3 different people that my claim looked fine and should be processing but NOTHING HAPPENS. I check my account literally every single day including weekends and the only time I ever see updates is between like Tuesday-Thursday during business hours. Never seen any movement on weekends no matter what they claim about weekend work. Whole system is a joke.

UPDATE: You guys won't believe this! My claim was actually approved yesterday (Sunday)!! I took the advice about uploading a hardship statement on Friday, and somehow it seems to have worked. Not sure if it was coincidence or if it actually bumped me up in priority, but either way, I'm so relieved. The Governor's office lady wasn't lying - they really do process some claims on weekends. Thanks everyone for your advice and support through this nightmare.

That's excellent news! So glad it worked out for you. The hardship statement likely did help - they have specific flags for those in the system. Congratulations and thanks for updating the thread!

Must be nice. Still waiting here after 3+ months with ZERO movement despite uploading MULTIPLE hardship statements. System still completely broken for most of us.

Congratulations Javier! Your success story gives me hope as someone who's currently at week 5 of adjudication. I'm definitely going to upload a hardship statement today after reading about your experience. For others still waiting - it sounds like the weekend processing is real but limited, so don't give up hope. The fact that they're prioritizing 8+ week claims and hardship cases means there is some method to the madness, even if it doesn't feel like it when you're stuck waiting. Thanks for sharing your outcome and keeping the rest of us informed!