Does Washington ESD unemployment back pay from when you first applied?

That's such a relief! Do you know how long it usually takes for the back pay to show up?

Usually 2-3 business days after approval. Check your payment history on your ESD account to track it.

Yeah I made sure to file every week even though I wasn't getting paid. Glad I did that now!

Smart move. I know people who gave up filing weekly claims and lost out on thousands in back pay.

I kept doing job searches and logging them in WorkSourceWA just in case. Hope that was the right thing to do.

Definitely the right move. Better to have done the job searches and not need them than the other way around.

Wait, do you have to do job searches even during adjudication? I thought you only started after approval.

I was in the same boat until I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They actually got me connected to a Washington ESD agent within an hour. Sounds too good to be true but it worked - there's even a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ

Never heard of that. Is it legit or some kind of scam?

I was skeptical too but it's totally legitimate. They just help you get through the phone queue faster. Saved me hours of calling and redialing.

Did you get any explanation for why adjudication took so long?

they said it was because my previous employer contested the claim but i never heard anything about that until after it was resolved

I didn't work at all during those weeks so hopefully it should be straightforward.

Yeah if you had zero earnings it should be the full weekly benefit amount for each week. Much simpler calculation.

Yes! Such a weight off my shoulders. Now I just need to see that money hit my account.

Usually deposits on Tuesday or Wednesday if it processes over the weekend. Keep checking!

How much does it cost? Seems like something that should be free.

I agree it shouldn't be necessary, but when you're dealing with bills piling up, it's worth it to get through faster. The peace of mind alone was valuable.

I looked into this and it seems like they just help you navigate the phone system more efficiently. Not a bad idea if you're stuck.

I'm so sorry you went through that. It's ridiculous that they make people wait so long for money they're entitled to.

The worst part is how they give you no updates during the process. Just 'adjudication in progress' for weeks on end.

Good point - I'll screenshot everything once the payments come through.

Smart. Washington ESD's payment tracking isn't always accurate so having your own records helps.

I keep a spreadsheet of all my weekly claims and payments. Saved me during an audit last year.

Oh I didn't know about that! This is my first unemployment claim ever so that would apply to me.

Yeah, they eliminated the waiting week a few years ago so now you get paid for that first week too. Should show up with your back pay.

I might have to try that. Been calling for two weeks straight with no luck getting through.

It's definitely worth it if you're stuck. The phone system is just overwhelmed otherwise.

Thank you! I can finally breathe a little easier knowing the money is coming.

Already have direct deposit set up thankfully. Learned that lesson from a friend who had to wait extra days for the card.

Good call. Direct deposit is definitely the way to go for faster access to funds.

Completely agree. No one should have to stress for weeks wondering if they'll be able to pay their bills.

It's gotten better than it was during COVID but still way too slow for people who need the money to survive.