ESD adjudication taking forever - waiting since July with no updates

June 29th?? That's even longer than me. Have you been able to reach anyone at all?

Thanks for the response. I honestly have no idea what triggered it. I was laid off (downsizing) and have all my termination paperwork. The only unusual thing was that I took a 2-week vacation right after being laid off (which was planned before I knew about the layoff). I reported this on my application. Could that be it?

That could definitely be it. When you take a vacation immediately after filing, it raises questions about your availability for work during that period. ESD needs to determine if you were still actively seeking employment while on vacation or if you were essentially removed from the job market during that time. This would trigger an availability adjudication.

That's not entirely accurate. While the system is frustratingly slow, it's more about being understaffed than deliberately trying to deny claims. They're actually required by federal standards to process a certain percentage of claims within specific timeframes, and they regularly fail to meet those metrics due to staffing issues.

well why dont they HIRE MORE PEOPLE then???? my taxes pay for this!!!

I hadn't heard of this service before. Did you just need to explain your situation once you got through to someone? I'm desperate at this point so I'll try anything.

Yes, once I got through I explained how long I'd been waiting. The agent looked up my claim and could see notes that weren't visible to me on eServices. They told me exactly what the issue was (in my case it was verifying my previous employer's information) and that it had actually been resolved already but needed to be processed. Sometimes claims get stuck in their system and need someone to manually move them forward.

Thank you for these tips. I've been doing 1-3 religiously. I hadn't thought about contacting my state rep - I'll look into that tomorrow. And I just double-checked my account for questionnaires and don't see any. Would they appear in the same place as the weekly claim forms?

They typically appear in your eServices inbox or sometimes as alerts at the top of your dashboard. Also check your spam folder for emails from ESD, as their notifications sometimes end up there. When contacting your state representative, be sure to include your full name, contact information, and ESD claim ID number (if you have it). Explain how long you've been waiting and the financial hardship it's causing. They often have dedicated staff who work on constituent services and have established contacts within state agencies.

Thanks for the insider perspective. I'll try the callback option tomorrow morning. Do you know if there's any way to find out what specific issue triggered the adjudication? That's what's driving me crazy - not knowing what the problem even is.

Unfortunately, the specific adjudication reasons aren't always visible to claimants in the online system - that's a common frustration. When you do get through to an agent, specifically ask: 1) What type of adjudication is on your claim, 2) Whether any information is missing from you, and 3) The current status/timeframe. Write down the names of anyone you speak with and take detailed notes of the conversation. This documentation can be helpful if you need to escalate your case later.

That's a good point. I have a good relationship with my former employer though, and they've confirmed they reported it as a layoff due to downsizing. I still have the layoff notice they gave me. But maybe there's some other discrepancy I'm not aware of.

I've been checking my mail carefully and haven't received anything from ESD except the initial monetary determination letter back in July. Is there something specific I should be looking for?

The most important pieces would be any fact-finding questionnaires or interview notices. They typically come in official ESD envelopes with the department logo. If you haven't received any of these, that's actually good news - it likely means they're just backlogged rather than waiting on information from you. One last suggestion - if you have documentation related to your layoff (termination letter, severance agreement, etc.), go ahead and upload it to your eServices account under the document upload section. Sometimes being proactive with documentation can help move things along.