ESD adjudication since 4/9 - facing eviction, should I call?
I'm seriously stressing out here. My unemployment claim has been stuck in adjudication since April 9th (almost 4 weeks now) and I just got an eviction warning from my landlord. I already received an approval letter for my claim and completed everything they asked for - uploaded all my documents, filed my weekly claims consistently, everything! But the payments are still not coming through because of this adjudication status. I'm down to my last $78 and rent is already 2 weeks late. Has anyone experienced this kind of delay with adjudication? Is there anything I can do to speed up the process? Should I try calling ESD even though I know the wait times are terrible? I'm literally about to lose my apartment and don't know what to do.
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Miguel Silva
Yes, you should definitely call ESD right away. Adjudication can take 3-6 weeks normally, but if you're facing eviction you need to request an expedited review based on hardship. Make sure to specifically mention your eviction risk when you speak with an agent. They can sometimes prioritize claims when there's immediate financial hardship involved. Also, bring this eviction notice to your local WorkSource office - they sometimes have emergency assistance programs or can connect you with rental assistance while your UI claim is processing.
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Ava Garcia
•Thanks for the advice. I've been trying to call for 2 days but can't get through - just constant busy signals or the automated system hangs up saying too many callers. Is there a best time to call or some trick to actually reaching a human?
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Zainab Ismail
I was in adjudication for 5 weeks earlier this year. It's completely frustrating, I know. If you're facing eviction, you need to call ESD AND contact legal aid in your county immediately. Washington has pretty strong eviction protections, and a legal aid attorney can help you navigate this while waiting for your benefits. But yes, you absolutely need to talk to ESD directly about expediting your case due to the eviction threat. I know the phone lines are a nightmare, but I had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual ESD representative after trying for days on my own. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Totally worth it in my situation since I was also facing urgent bills.
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Connor O'Neill
•What's Claimyr? Never heard of that before. Is it like an app that calls for you or something?
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Zainab Ismail
It's a service that basically navigates the ESD phone system for you and calls you back when they've gotten through to an agent. Saved me hours of redial hell. Not free but when you're about to be evicted, getting through to ESD becomes worth it.
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QuantumQuester
•I used Claimyr too when my claim was stuck for 6 weeks!! Got thru to an ACTUAL PERSON at ESD in like 30 mins after trying for days on my own. Dude on the phone told me there was a simple flag on my account they needed to remove. Fixed it right there while I was on the phone! Money hit my account 2 days later.
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Yara Nassar
adjucation is the WORST!!!!! i was stock for 7 weeks last october and nobody would tell me why. i think they just do it to wear people down so they'll give up. the whole system is designed to fail regular people
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Miguel Silva
•While the system definitely has issues, adjudication is actually a legal requirement. It's the process ESD uses to review claims that have potential eligibility issues. The problem isn't that they do adjudication, it's that they're chronically understaffed which causes these ridiculous delays. The good news is that if your claim is eventually approved, you'll get all the back payments from the weeks you properly filed.
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Keisha Williams
My adjudication took exactly 37 days in January 2025. I know because I marked it on my calendar and counted every single day. Calling didn't help speed things up, but at least I got confirmation that nothing else was needed from me. One thing - make sure your weekly claims are still being filed during adjudication! Even though you're not getting paid yet, you need those weeks properly claimed so when adjudication clears, they'll pay you retroactively. I missed filing one week and never got that money.
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Ava Garcia
•Yes, I've been filing every single week without fail. My eServices account shows all my weekly claims as "Processed - Web" but with $0 payment because of the adjudication hold. So I should have 4 weeks of backpay coming if/when this resolves. I just don't have 3 more weeks to wait with this eviction threat hanging over my head...
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Connor O'Neill
Have you gone to your ESD WorkSource office in person? Sometimes that's the only way to get things moving. Bring your eviction notice and all your claim paperwork. They can't always help with specific claims, but sometimes they can make internal calls or note your account for hardship review. Also, apply for rental assistance through DSHS immediately - they have emergency programs specifically for situations like yours.
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Ava Garcia
•That's a good idea, I didn't even think about going in person. There's a WorkSource office about 30 minutes from me by bus. I'll try going there tomorrow morning. Thanks for the DSHS suggestion too - going to look into that right now.
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Paolo Ricci
my brothers girlfriend works for esd (not telling u which office lol) and she says they r so behind on everything. adjudication can take 4-8 weeks easy. it sucks but thats how it is now. she says theres like 1 adjudicator for every 400 cases or something crazy
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Ava Garcia
•That's terrifying to hear. I can't wait 8 weeks - I'll be living in my car by then. Do you know if there's any way to get a case expedited? Like does the hardship review thing that others mentioned actually work?
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Paolo Ricci
ya she says hardship review is real but u HAVE to talk to someone on the phone to request it. they dont look at eservices messages for those. u need documentation too like the eviction notice
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Zainab Ismail
Just checking back - were you able to get through to ESD? Did you try that Claimyr service or visit the WorkSource office? I'm invested in your situation now and hoping you got some help!
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Ava Garcia
•Thank you for checking back! I ended up using Claimyr this morning and got through to ESD in about 45 minutes. The agent was actually really helpful once I explained my eviction situation. She put in for a hardship review and said the adjudicator should look at my case within 48-72 hours. She also gave me a direct number to call back if I don't see any updates by Friday. Fingers crossed this works! I also applied for emergency rental assistance through DSHS as someone suggested. Still incredibly stressed but feeling like there might be some movement now.
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