ESD claim stuck on 'pending' for 8+ weeks - no payments received yet

Same boat here, but even worse. Mine's been pending for 11 weeks! No explanation, no updates, nothing. I've called literally 47 times (yes I counted) and either get disconnected or told the wait time is over 3 hours. I don't understand how they expect people to survive like this. My car payment is already 2 weeks late and I'm about to get evicted. The system is completely broken.

It sounds like your claim is stuck in adjudication, which unfortunately is common right now. When you log into your eServices account, check if there's an "Issues and Decisions" tab that shows any pending issues. Sometimes there's a verification or employer response that ESD is waiting on, but they don't communicate this clearly. A few things to try: 1. Send a secure message through your eServices portal specifically asking what's causing the delay 2. Check if you selected "standby" status or if there are job search requirements you need to fulfill 3. Verify that all your personal information is correct (especially SSN, as a single digit error can cause major delays) If you're able to get through to an agent, ask them specifically what's holding up your claim and if there's anything you can do to expedite it.

hang in there bud my claim took 9 weeks last time before i got paid. its just how it is now with all the fraud they deal with. theyll backpay you for everything so atleast youll get a big check when it finally goes thru

After waiting 5 weeks with my claim stuck in pending, I was at my wit's end trying to get through to ESD on the phone. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an ESD agent within 15 minutes. The agent found that my claim was flagged for identity verification but the notification was never sent to me! Once I uploaded the documents they needed, my claim was processed within a week and I got all my backpay. They have a video demo of how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 Honestly, after spending weeks getting nowhere, it was worth it to finally talk to someone who could actually tell me what was wrong with my claim.

Unfortunately, long adjudication times have become increasingly common with ESD in 2025. There are several specific issues that could be causing your delay: 1. Employer response issue: Your former employer has up to 10 days to respond to ESD about your claim, and some employers dispute claims or delay responses. 2. Wage verification delays: If you worked in multiple states or had multiple employers, this can trigger manual review. 3. Identity verification backlog: With increased fraud prevention measures, many legitimate claims are getting caught in verification queues. 4. System flags: Certain answers on your application might trigger automatic reviews (such as questions about being able and available for work). I recommend two immediate actions: - Continue filing your weekly claims without fail - Contact your state legislator's office - they have special channels to escalate ESD issues If your financial situation is dire, also look into emergency assistance programs through DSHS while waiting for your unemployment benefits.

@profile5 - Yes, your employer would need to respond to each claim individually, though they may be doing batch responses for a mass layoff. However, with 28 people, that could certainly contribute to delays as their HR department processes everything. With mass layoffs, ESD sometimes prioritizes these claims differently, but the system doesn't always work efficiently. If you know any former colleagues who have received their benefits, you might ask if they had to do anything special to get their claims processed.

I went through this exact thing last month!!! mine was pending for 7 weeks and I was going CRAZY. turned out there was a tiny discrepancy between my reported wages and what my employer reported. The difference was literally $42 but it caused the whole thing to get flagged for manual review. The stupid part is they never told me! i only found out when i finally got thru to someone on the phone. i know its frustrating but keep filing your weekly claims! they WILL backpay you for everything once it clears up.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - check if you have a pending adjudication interview scheduled. Sometimes ESD schedules these without clearly notifying claimants. Log into your eServices account and look for any correspondence or scheduled phone appointments. If you miss an adjudication interview, it can significantly delay your claim. Also, make sure you're answering your phone even if you don't recognize the number. ESD call centers often show as unknown or blocked numbers. They typically only try to call twice before marking your claim as "unable to contact claimant" which creates further delays.

This happened to me too. I think the ESD is just broken after all the pandemic fraud stuff they dealt with. Everything is super slow now. My friend told me it's because they fired a bunch of the people they hired during covid and now they're understaffed again. Anyway when I finally got my benefits they paid all the back weeks at once so keep claiming every week!

Update on my situation - after using Claimyr to reach an ESD agent, they told me my claim needed additional employment verification (which was never communicated to me through the portal). I uploaded my final paystub and W-2 from previous year, and my claim was approved within 6 business days. All pending weeks were paid at once. The agent also told me they're dealing with a major backlog due to their new verification system that was implemented in October. Apparently a lot of legitimate claims are getting caught in the new fraud prevention filters.