ESD adjudication delay for 3 weeks - Is my education status causing issues?

Being in school can definitely trigger adjudication if you didn't properly disclose it or if the system flags it as potentially affecting your availability for work. When you file for unemployment, you need to be able and available for full-time work, and sometimes being a student raises questions about that availability. Your education isn't automatically disqualifying, but ESD needs to determine that your school schedule wouldn't prevent you from accepting suitable work. The fact that they're evening classes works in your favor. As for contact, try calling right when they open at 8:00 AM. That's usually when wait times are shortest.

ugh same thing happen to me and it was BOTH school and my employer being slow. took 5 WEEKS before i heard anything!! they needa hire more ppl seriously

I just went through this exact situation last month. The adjudication was brutal - 4 weeks of silence while bills piled up. Being in school absolutely can trigger adjudication because they need to verify you're still able and available for full-time work. Evening classes are usually fine, but they still need to make that determination. The key is getting through to an actual person at ESD. Regular phone methods are basically useless right now with their call volume. I finally got through using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they basically hold your place in line and call you when they have an ESD agent on the phone. Saved me hours of redial frustration. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 Once I actually spoke with someone, they were able to push my claim through in 48 hours. The agent told me my adjudication was actually complete but just hadn't been processed properly in the system.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIGGED TO DENY CLAIMS!!!! I had a similar situation and was in "adjudication" for SIX WEEKS with NO communication! When I finally got through, turned out they were just waiting for one stupid form my employer hadn't returned. Meanwhile I almost lost my apartment!!! They design the system to be frustrating so people will give up. DON'T GIVE UP. Call every single day, first thing in the morning. Document EVERYTHING. The education thing is just another excuse they use to delay paying legitimate claims.

Based on the latest ESD guidelines for 2025, being in school while claiming unemployment benefits requires additional verification, but it's not an automatic disqualification. Here's what you need to know: 1. Adjudication for education status typically takes 2-4 weeks right now 2. You need to demonstrate that: - Your school schedule doesn't interfere with standard work hours - You're willing to adjust or quit school if it conflicts with suitable employment - You're actively searching for work despite being in school The Commissioner's Approved Training program might be an option for you, which allows you to attend school without the work search requirement, but you need to apply for that specifically. If it's any consolation, adjudication for education issues typically has a higher approval rate than employer-related issues, especially when the classes are outside normal business hours. Just make sure you're completing your weekly claims during this waiting period.

My sister had this happen to her but it was becuz of her former employer disputing the claim. Took almost 2 months to resolve! But I don't think school should be a problem as long as you can work full time. Have you checked your ESD portal to see if there are any alerts or messages? Sometimes they request additional info but don't tell you.

One thing I'd suggest is checking if there are any messages in your ESD account that might have been missed. Sometimes they send requests for information that don't trigger email notifications. Also, make absolutely sure you're doing your weekly claims even while in adjudication! If you miss those, you could lose those weeks of benefits even after approval.

have u tried the message center in ur esd account? sometimes they respond there faster than phone. also try calling exactly at 8am and hit option 2 then 3 in the menu, worked for me last month