Does Washington ESD call you back or do you have to keep calling them?
I've been trying to reach Washington ESD for over a week about my claim that's been stuck in adjudication. Every time I call the customer service line I either get disconnected after waiting on hold for hours or get a busy signal. I'm wondering - does Washington ESD ever actually call claimants back? Or do I just have to keep calling until I get lucky? My weekly claim filing is due tomorrow and I'm worried about missing it while this adjudication issue is pending. Has anyone had Washington ESD actually return their call?
62 comments


Jamal Wilson
In my experience Washington ESD rarely calls back unless it's for a scheduled phone interview or hearing. Most of the time you have to keep calling them unfortunately.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•That's what I was afraid of. I've been calling since 8am every day this week and can't get through.
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Mei Lin
•Same here, they only called me once and that was for my initial eligibility interview. Everything else I had to chase them down.
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Liam Fitzgerald
Washington ESD will call you back in specific situations: eligibility interviews, fact-finding interviews for adjudication issues, and scheduled appeal hearings. For general questions about claim status or weekly filing issues, you typically need to call them. The best times to call are right when they open at 8am or during lunch hours when call volume is lower.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•Good to know about the lunch hours - I've been trying in the morning with no luck. What time do they usually break for lunch?
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Usually between 12-1pm call volume drops a bit, but it's still competitive. The phone system gets overwhelmed pretty quickly most days.
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Amara Nnamani
I was in the same boat trying to reach Washington ESD about my adjudication issue. After weeks of calling with no success, I found this service called Claimyr that calls for you. Check out claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Basically they keep calling until they get through to an agent and then connect you. It was a lifesaver for me.
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Giovanni Mancini
•How much does something like that cost? Sounds too good to be true.
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Amara Nnamani
•It's way cheaper than taking time off work to call all day. The peace of mind was worth it for me - I got connected to an agent within a few hours.
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NebulaNinja
•I'm skeptical about giving my info to a third party service. Did they ask for your SSN or anything sensitive?
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Mei Lin
The only times Washington ESD has called me were for my initial eligibility determination and once when they needed to verify my work history. Both times they scheduled the call in advance through my online account. For everything else I've had to call them.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•I haven't gotten any notifications about scheduled calls. My account just shows the adjudication is in progress with no other details.
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Mei Lin
•That's frustrating. Sometimes the adjudication process takes weeks without any communication from them.
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Jamal Wilson
I've been filing UI claims for 6 months and Washington ESD has never called me back from leaving a message. The callback system doesn't seem to work at all. Your best bet is to keep calling or try the online messaging system, though that's slow too.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•I tried the online messaging system but it's been 5 days with no response. This is so frustrating when you need answers quickly.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
•The online system is basically useless. I sent three messages about my disqualification and never heard back.
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Liam Fitzgerald
For adjudication issues specifically, Washington ESD might call you if they need additional information or clarification. This usually happens during the fact-finding phase. However, they won't call just to update you on status - you have to call them for that information.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•My adjudication has been pending for 3 weeks now with no contact from them. Should I be worried that it's taking this long?
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Three weeks isn't unusual unfortunately. Some adjudications take 4-6 weeks depending on the complexity of the issue.
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Giovanni Mancini
This is why I hate dealing with government agencies. You're at their mercy and they act like they're doing you a favor by answering the phone.
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Dylan Mitchell
•Tell me about it. I've been unemployed for 2 months and half that time was spent trying to get through to someone at Washington ESD.
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Giovanni Mancini
•It's ridiculous that we pay taxes and can't get basic customer service when we need help.
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NebulaNinja
I had Washington ESD call me back once but it was because I had an appeal hearing scheduled. They called the day before to confirm the time. Other than that, nope - you have to chase them down.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•At least they called to confirm your hearing. That gives me some hope they'll eventually contact me if needed.
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NebulaNinja
•Yeah but that was only because it was legally required. For regular questions they definitely don't call back.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
I've been trying to reach Washington ESD for a month about an overpayment notice. No callbacks, no response to messages. Finally got through yesterday using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Worth every penny to avoid the phone tag nightmare.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•How long did it take for them to connect you with an agent?
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
•About 2 hours. They called me back once they got through to someone at Washington ESD. So much easier than sitting on hold all day.
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Mei Lin
The callback system is broken. I've requested callbacks multiple times through their phone system and never got one. Just keep calling or try early morning before 8:30am.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•I'll try calling even earlier tomorrow. Maybe 7:55am right before they officially open.
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Mei Lin
•Good strategy. Sometimes you can get in the queue before the heavy call volume hits.
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Amara Nnamani
Just wanted to follow up on my earlier comment about Claimyr - I used them again this week for a different issue and they got me connected within an hour. Really takes the stress out of trying to reach Washington ESD.
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Sofia Morales
•I'm tempted to try this. How do you know they're legitimate?
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Amara Nnamani
•They have good reviews online and they actually connect you to the real Washington ESD agents, not some third party. Check their website for more details.
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Dylan Mitchell
Washington ESD called me exactly once in 4 months of dealing with them - and that was to tell me my appeal hearing was cancelled. For everything else I had to call them repeatedly.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•That's so typical. They'll call to cancel something but not to actually help resolve issues.
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Dylan Mitchell
•Exactly! The system is set up to make it as difficult as possible to get help.
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Jamal Wilson
Pro tip: if you do get through to someone at Washington ESD, ask them to add notes to your file about what you discussed. That way if you have to call back, the next agent can see what happened.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•Good advice. I'll make sure to ask for that if I ever get through to someone.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Yes, always ask for case notes. It saves time on follow-up calls and helps maintain continuity.
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Dmitry Popov
been calling washington esd for weeks, never get through. this is insane
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•I feel your pain. It's like they don't want to help people who need benefits.
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Dmitry Popov
•exactly. we're supposed to be looking for work but spend all day trying to call them instead
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Liam Fitzgerald
For your specific situation with adjudication pending, continue filing your weekly claims even while the issue is being resolved. Don't let your weekly filing lapse or it could complicate things further. The adjudication won't affect your ability to file weekly claims.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•Thank you! I was worried about filing while the adjudication was pending. I'll make sure to keep up with my weekly claims.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Definitely keep filing. The adjudication will either approve or deny your past claims, but you need to maintain your weekly filing to keep your claim active.
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Ava Garcia
I work in HR and deal with Washington ESD regularly. They only call for scheduled interviews or hearings. For status updates or general questions, you have to call them. It's unfortunate but that's how their system works.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•That's helpful to know from someone who deals with them professionally. I'll stop expecting a callback and just keep trying.
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Ava Garcia
•Yeah, managing expectations is important. Their phone system is definitely overwhelmed but they do eventually answer if you're persistent.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
Update: I mentioned Claimyr earlier and wanted to add that they also helped me understand what questions to ask once I got connected. They prep you for the call which is really helpful.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•That's a nice touch. I wouldn't have thought about preparing questions ahead of time.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
•Yeah, when you finally get through you want to make the most of that call. Having a list of questions ready helps a lot.
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Mei Lin
Bottom line: Washington ESD doesn't call you back for general inquiries. Keep calling, try different times of day, and be persistent. Eventually you'll get through.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•Thanks everyone for the advice. I'll keep trying and make sure to file my weekly claim on time regardless.
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Jamal Wilson
•Good luck! It's frustrating but you'll eventually get the help you need.
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StarSailor}
Same issue here. Three weeks of calling with no success. The system is broken.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•At least I'm not alone in this struggle. Hopefully we both get through soon.
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StarSailor}
•Here's hoping. Good luck with your adjudication issue.
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Miguel Silva
Try calling right at 8am when they open. I got through twice that way, but it still took 45 minutes on hold each time.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•I'll set my alarm for 7:55am tomorrow and be ready to dial right at 8. Thanks for the tip!
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Miguel Silva
•Hope it works for you. Be persistent and don't give up if you get a busy signal the first few tries.
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Ryan Kim
I've been dealing with Washington ESD for months and can confirm they almost never call back unless it's legally required like for hearings or mandatory interviews. The callback feature through their phone system is essentially broken - I've requested callbacks dozens of times and never received one. Your best strategy is to keep calling persistently, especially right when they open at 8am or try mid-afternoon around 2-3pm when some people give up. Also make sure you continue filing your weekly claims even during adjudication - that's crucial to keep your claim active. The waiting is brutal but eventually you'll get through if you're persistent enough.
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