ESD benefit approval received but no payment yet - how long is normal wait time?

have u filed ur weekly claims?? u gotta do that every week or they wont pay u anything even if ur approved

A few things might be going on here. First, your claim could still be in adjudication even though you received a monetary determination. The monetary determination just means you qualify financially, but they might be reviewing other aspects of your separation. Second, did you select direct deposit or the debit card option? The debit card can take 7-10 business days to arrive by mail after your first payment is processed. Third, check if there are any alerts or action items in your eServices account. Sometimes they need additional verification that isn't clearly communicated.

OMG I'm going through THE EXACT SAME THING!!!! Been waiting 12 days since approval and still nothing. My rent is due tomorrow and I'm FREAKING OUT!!! Did yours ever come through??? Did you have to call them??? I've tried calling like 35 times and can't get through.

If your account shows a "pending issue" that's definitely why your payment is held up. Unfortunately, that means your claim is in adjudication, and even though you received a monetary determination letter, they're still investigating something about your claim. It could be verification of identity, reason for separation from employer, able and available status, or something else. You need to reach a claims specialist to find out what the pending issue is about. The ESD phone system is extremely overloaded though, so it's very difficult to get through. I recommend using Claimyr to connect with ESD faster (claimyr.com). They get you through the phone queue much faster. I was on hold for hours before I tried them, then got through in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 Once you find out what the pending issue is, you can submit whatever documentation they need to resolve it.

The ESD system is TOTALLY BROKEN by design!! They approve you then put random "pending issues" to delay paying you as long as possible. They did this to me and it took SEVEN WEEKS to get my first payment after being "approved." They're hoping people just give up and stop claiming. The whole system is rigged against workers!!!!

UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD! The "pending issue" was that they needed proof of my job search activities. I've been doing the activities but hadn't uploaded the log yet because I thought that was only required after you start receiving payments. My fault for not reading everything carefully enough. I uploaded my job search log and the rep said payments should process within 48 hours. Lesson learned - make sure you're completing AND documenting all required activities from day one!

Glad you got it resolved! This is a common misunderstanding. Even though the monetary determination letter approves you for benefits, you still need to meet all eligibility requirements each week, including the job search requirements (usually 3 activities per week unless you have standby status). For anyone else reading this: always upload your job search log as soon as possible. Even if you think you don't need to yet, it's better to have it in the system. ESD sometimes does random checks, and if they can't verify your job search activities, they'll put a hold on payments until you provide documentation.