ESD adjudication delay after correcting retirement withdrawal mistake - anyone know current timeline?
I'm stuck in adjudication limbo and getting really worried about bills. Filed for unemployment three weeks ago, but accidentally answered a question wrong about a retirement account I withdrew from back in January (needed emergency cash). When I realized my mistake, I called ESD and they put me in adjudication status and requested documentation about the withdrawal. I sent everything they asked for via secure message upload a week ago, but my claim still shows 'adjudication in progress' with no timeline given. My eServices account doesn't show any additional info or things I need to do. I've been filing my weekly claims as instructed, but all show 'pending' payment with $0 amounts. Has anyone gone through adjudication recently? How long is it taking these days? The uncertainty is killing me and my savings are almost gone. Really need this resolved before rent is due next week.
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Jace Caspullo
i went thru adjudication in feb took almost 5 weeks before they sorted it out. keep doing your weekly claims even tho they show $0
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Adriana Cohn
•5 weeks?? That's terrifying. Did you get all the back pay once they approved you? Did you do anything to speed up the process?
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Melody Miles
Adjudication typically takes 4-6 weeks right now based on my experience and what I've seen others post. The retirement withdrawal is a common issue they need to verify because they want to confirm it's not ongoing income. Make sure you included bank statements showing the deposit was a one-time thing and not recurring. Keep filing your weekly claims as normal - if/when they approve your claim, they'll pay all those weeks at once as back pay. Don't skip any weekly filings or you might lose those weeks.
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
•This is exactly right!! I waited 7 weeks for my adjudication (quit job for health reasons) and got ALL my back pay at once. It was a huge relief. Just be super consistent with weekly claims and triple check every answer!
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Eva St. Cyr
Adjudication is THE WORST part of ESD!!! I was stuck for almost 8 weeks last year with no communication whatsoever. Called 47 times (not exaggerating) and either got disconnected or was told "we can't give timelines for adjudication" every single time. The whole system is broken and they don't care at all that people are suffering while they take their sweet time. My advice? Call your state rep's office - they have special contacts at ESD and can sometimes get things moving.
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Kristian Bishop
•Have you tried Claimyr? After two weeks of not being able to reach anyone at ESD, I tried it and got connected to an agent in about 20 minutes. Cost some money but totally worth it for me since I needed to explain my situation to a real person. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 and their website is claimyr.com. The agent I spoke with couldn't remove adjudication, but they noted my account that I had sent all required docs and marked it urgent.
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Kaitlyn Otto
my neighbor just went thru this and it was only 3 weeks but i think hers was a different issue something about her employer not her retirement so maybe yours will be faster too good luck
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Axel Far
I work with unemployment cases regularly. Here's what's happening: when you report retirement withdrawals, ESD needs to verify it's not ongoing income that would reduce your weekly benefit amount. Current adjudication times for this specific issue are averaging 4-5 weeks, but can stretch longer if they need additional documentation. Make sure your documentation clearly shows: 1. The withdrawal date (January 2025) 2. The total amount withdrawn 3. That it was a one-time withdrawal, not recurring 4. Any penalties or taxes withheld One important note: if you didn't include a letter explaining the circumstances of your withdrawal, send that through secure message right away. A brief explanation stating it was a one-time emergency withdrawal completed in January with no further withdrawals planned can help tremendously. Also, call ESD directly to request an escalation based on financial hardship if you're facing eviction or utility shutoffs. They do have a process for expediting claims in true hardship situations.
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Adriana Cohn
•Thank you for this detailed advice! I did include the withdrawal statement and bank statements, but I didn't write an explanation letter. I'll do that today. Do you know if calling to request hardship escalation actually works? I'm worried about wasting more time on hold only to be told they can't help.
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
Anybody else notice adjudication takes WAY longer now than it did during COVID times? Back in 2021 I got through adjudication in like 10 days. Now they're taking months for some people. It's like they went back to not caring once the pandemic spotlight was off them.
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Melody Miles
•They had a lot more staff during COVID because of the federal funding. Most of those temporary workers are gone now, but claim volumes are still higher than pre-pandemic. The system just wasn't designed to handle this many claims efficiently.
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Adriana Cohn
Update: I took everyone's advice and kept filing my weekly claims. I also sent an additional message with a clear explanation letter about the retirement withdrawal being one-time and emergency-based. Still waiting but at least I feel like I've done everything possible. Thanks for all the support and information - this community has been super helpful while I navigate this stress.
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Axel Far
•Good job with the explanation letter. One last tip: in your weekly claims, make absolutely sure you're correctly reporting any work/earnings (even if zero) and accurately answering the able/available questions. Inconsistencies there can extend adjudication times.
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