ESD Appeal Letter Response Time - Waiting 6 Weeks Already

i waited ALMOST FOUR MONTHS last year for my appeal!!! the system is completly broken. they make u wait hoping u'll just give up & go away. i called everyday for 2 weeks straight & never got through once. its a joke honestly.

Appeals typically take 8-12 weeks to process before they even schedule your hearing, unfortunately. The current backlog is especially bad. After they schedule your hearing, you'll receive a packet in the mail with all the documents ESD will present, along with the hearing details (usually phone). Make sure you're gathering evidence now to support your case that you didn't voluntarily quit - things like schedule changes, emails/texts about your hours being cut, pay stubs showing the reduction, etc. You'll need to present your case clearly during the hearing.

My sister just went through this whole appeal thing back in January. They told her 6-8 weeks but it took 10 weeks before she got the hearing letter. She won her case though! The judge person was actually pretty nice and really listened to her side of the story.

I went through an appeal for a similar situation last year where they wrongly classified my reduction in hours as a voluntary quit. The initial wait was about 9 weeks before I got any response. The most frustrating part was not being able to get updates during the waiting period. I finally got through to an ESD agent using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they connected me to an agent in about 25 minutes when I'd been trying for weeks on my own. The agent was able to tell me exactly where my appeal was in the process and gave me the expected timeline. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 When you do get your hearing scheduled, make sure you're very prepared. Write down the exact timeline of events, have all your documentation organized, and practice explaining your situation clearly and concisely.

yep this is normal unfortunately... waited 11 weeks for mine last yr. try to follow up with office of administrative hearings (OAH) instead of esd, they might have more info. good luck!

The appeal system is completely rigged against claimants. I filed an appeal in 2024 and they "lost" my paperwork TWICE. Then when I finally got a hearing date, they only gave me 5 days notice, which isn't enough time to properly prepare. They know exactly what they're doing - making the process so frustrating and lengthy that people give up. My advice? Document EVERYTHING. Record every phone call (Washington is a two-party consent state, so make sure you say you're recording), save every email, and make notes after every conversation with dates and names. The system is designed to wear you down!!!

While waiting for your appeal to be processed, make sure you continue filing your weekly claims even though they'll show as "disqualified" for now. If you win your appeal, you'll only be paid for weeks you properly claimed. Also check your Notices/Letters section in eServices regularly - sometimes they send important communications there without any email notification.

had kinda the same thing happen to me. boss cut my hours from 40 to like 12 a week and esd said i quit! took forever to get it sorted but did win my appeal eventually

One more piece of advice: if it's been more than 8 weeks, you can try contacting your state representative's office. They often have liaisons who can help check on the status of appeals. They won't expedite it necessarily, but they might be able to get you more information than you can get yourself.