ESD appeal deadline for training benefits (SEAP) decision - how many days?

ESD technically has 30 days to make a decision on your SEAP appeal, but they rarely meet that deadline these days. From my experience helping clients through this process, it's taking anywhere from 6-10 weeks for training benefit appeals. The important thing is that you've already filed the appeal, which puts you in the queue. Keep attending your business course since that's a requirement for SEAP - if your appeal is approved, they should backdate the benefits. You can try contacting the appeals office directly at 360-570-5970 to check your status, but be prepared for long wait times.

when i did SEAP last year my appeal took exactly 7 weeks and 2 days. so yeah your probably looking at a while still. nobody ever told me there was a deadline they had to follow lol

The official timeframe is 30 days for ESD to make a decision on training benefit appeals including SEAP, but that's more of a guideline than a hard deadline. Unfortunately, there's no real penalty if they take longer. A few things you can do while waiting: 1. Document all your course attendance and progress 2. Keep all receipts for tuition and materials 3. Continue meeting all other unemployment requirements 4. Check your online account for any requests for additional information If it goes beyond 8 weeks, you can escalate by contacting your state representative's office. They often have staff dedicated to helping constituents with ESD issues.

Have you tried calling ESD directly? I had a similar issue and was going insane waiting. I finally got through to an actual person using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they have this service that gets you through to an ESD agent without the hours of waiting. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. The agent was able to check my appeal status and actually found there was a missing document they needed but hadn't bothered to tell me about! Might be worth a try to see if there's something holding yours up.

I went through the SEAP appeal process back in January. Here's what to expect: 1. The Commissioner's Review Office should decide within 30 days, but it almost always takes longer. 2. If your first appeal is denied, you can request an OAH hearing, which is a whole separate timeline (another 30-45 days). 3. While waiting, make sure you're still doing your three job search activities each week and filing your weekly claims! This is super important - if you stop filing thinking you're just waiting for SEAP approval, you could lose eligibility entirely. 4. Keep detailed records of your business course progress - they might ask for this later. Also, call the appeals office weekly for updates. Sometimes your file can get "stuck" and a call can move it along. The direct line is 360-570-5970.

my cousin did SEAP and her appeal took like 2 months but they backdated everything when she got approved so she got a big payment all at once. keep all ur receipts for the class!!

One thing to remember is that the SEAP program in Washington is highly competitive with limited spots. For 2025, they significantly reduced the number of available slots, which might be affecting processing times. While waiting for your appeal decision, make sure you: 1. Continue to meet with your SEAP counselor if you've been assigned one 2. Document any business startup costs you're incurring 3. Keep detailed notes from your business course 4. Check your eServices messages daily for any requests If approved, ESD should backdate the training benefits to when you first qualified. However, be aware that not all course costs may be covered - SEAP primarily provides income support while you're in training rather than paying for the training itself. If it's been more than 6 weeks, I'd recommend escalating through these channels in this order: 1. Appeals Office (360-570-5970) 2. ESD Commissioner's Office (360-902-9303) 3. Your state legislator's constituent services