ESD approved my benefits but it's been 10+ days past employer contest period - still no payment?

The 10-day appeal period is just the first hurdle. Even after that passes, your claim might still be in processing. There are a few things to check: 1) Log into your eServices account and look at your claim status - does it say 'paid,' 'pending,' or something else? 2) Check if there are any alerts or action items in your account. 3) Make sure your payment method is correctly set up (direct deposit or debit card). If everything looks correct on your end, you might be stuck in the ESD backlog. Unfortunately, this is pretty common right now with their staffing issues.

You're in what I call the "approval purgatory" phase. Even though you're approved and the appeal window has passed, ESD often has additional verification steps before releasing funds. Have you received any requests for identity verification or additional documentation? Those can hold things up too. Also, double-check that all your weekly claims show as "processed" not just submitted. Sometimes one problematic weekly claim can hold up the entire payment process.

did you check ur spam folder?? sometimes esd emails go there. i was waiting 4ever and then found like 3 messages from them in spam asking for more info!

The same EXACT thing happened to me last month. Approved, waited the 10 days, nothing happened. I tried calling for TWO WEEKS straight but kept getting the dreaded "high call volume" message. I finally got through using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - it's a service that basically calls ESD for you and connects you when an agent is available. They have a video demo here: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 When I finally talked to someone, turned out there was a flag on my account for "potential availability issues" even though I'd been approved! They fixed it right away and my payment came through 2 days later. Might be worth trying since you've already waited so long.

Just because the determination letter was in YOUR favor doesn't mean your benefits start flowing automatically after the appeal period!!! ESD is absolutely TERRIBLE about communicating this, but there are still several checks that happen behind the scenes. Your claim could be on hold for random verification, wage investigation, or just sitting in someone's digital inbox waiting for final approval. The system is BROKEN and designed to frustrate people into giving up!!! I was in the EXACT same situation for 11 weeks before my payments finally started, and I never received any explanation for the delay. Just keep filing your weekly claims and try calling every day if possible.

When I had this happen the hold up was that even though my employer didn't contest, they hadn't responded AT ALL to ESD's inquiries. Sometimes ESD waits for employer confirmation even after the deadline. Try calling on Tuesday morning right when they open - that's when I've had the best luck getting through.

Here's what's likely happening: after approval and the appeal window passing, your claim is now in the payment processing queue. This is separate from claim processing. With your claim being 9 weeks old, you're probably due substantial back benefits, which sometimes triggers additional review. Two things you should do immediately: 1. Send a secure message through your eServices account specifically asking about payment status for your approved claim 2. Check if your claim shows "paid" or "processing" for each week If it shows "processing" for more than 10 business days after the appeal window closed, you definitely need to speak with an agent. The current wait for benefits to start flowing after approval is typically 3-5 business days unless there's another issue.

Have you tried contacting your state representative? I was stuck in a similar situation for weeks and nothing worked until I reached out to my district rep. Their office has special contacts at ESD and got my issue resolved in 3 days after I'd been waiting for months. Just Google "[your county] state representative" and reach out to their constituent services.

UPDATE: I just got paid!!! All 9 weeks came through at once! I used the Claimyr service that someone mentioned above to finally reach an agent this morning. Turns out there was a "system flag" on my account because I had two employers in my base year and one of them hadn't responded. The ESD agent manually overrode it since the appeal period had passed. She said the money should be in my account in 48 hours, but it actually showed up just 3 hours later! SUCH a relief. Thanks everyone for your help!