ESD denied benefits after quitting job for family reasons - no hearing scheduled for months

Unfortunately, the appeals backlog is really bad right now. I waited 3 months for my hearing last year, and I've heard it's gotten worse. Make sure you've done these things: 1. Check your spam folder for emails from the Office of Administrative Hearings 2. Verify your mailing address is current in the ESD system 3. Send a secure message specifically asking for the status of your appeal Also, since you're working again but with reduced hours, you might qualify for partial unemployment. Have you tried filing weekly claims for partial benefits? You can report your part-time income and still potentially get some benefits while waiting for your appeal.

call ur state representative!! they can sometimes help with cases like this. my cousin was stuck in adjudcation for 5 weeks and called her rep and suddenly ESD contacted her the next day. worth a try

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU GIVE UP!!!! I went through the EXACT same thing in 2024. They WANT you to get frustrated and stop fighting. It took me 5 MONTHS to get a hearing and then another 2 MONTHS to get the decision. AND THEN they still tried to deny me even though I had proof my employer was lying. Don't give up! The squeaky wheel gets the grease!!

I had to wait 10 weeks for my appeal hearing, but that was back in October. The OAH is definitely backed up worse now. Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to an actual ESD agent? I was in a similar situation and couldn't get any updates, but I used this service that got me connected to an ESD rep in about 15 minutes. The agent was able to check on my appeal status and actually found that they had the wrong mailing address (even though my eServices was correct). They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 The website is claimyr.com - it was worth it just to finally talk to a human who could see what was going on with my case instead of just getting automated messages.

I work with unemployment cases frequently, and I can tell you that unfortunately, 3-5 months for an appeal hearing is actually the norm right now. The Office of Administrative Hearings is significantly backlogged. However, given your situation, there are a few things worth noting: 1. Quitting for family reasons can qualify as "good cause" under Washington law, but you need proper documentation. Make sure you're gathering any medical documentation, care requirements, or other evidence showing why you had to quit. 2. Since you're now working again but with reduced hours, you should continue filing weekly claims and reporting your hours/earnings. Even though the system shows you as disqualified, if you win your appeal, they'll process those weeks retroactively. 3. The Governor's office likely won't intervene directly, but your state representative might help. Their constituent services staff can sometimes inquire about delayed cases. 4. Keep detailed records of all your attempts to contact ESD and OAH - dates, times, names if possible. This documentation may be relevant at your hearing. The backlog is frustrating, but stay persistent. If your reason for leaving truly qualifies as good cause, you should prevail at the hearing.

i had almost the exact same situation last year except i quit because of workplace harassment not family reasons. took forever to get a hearing but when i finally did i won my case! hang in there and def keep all your documentation organized. the judge at my hearing was actually pretty fair once i got there.

Update: I contacted my state representative's office this morning and amazingly they were super helpful! The staff person took down all my info and said they'd reach out to ESD on my behalf. I also tried the Claimyr service that someone recommended here, and I FINALLY got through to an actual ESD agent. They told me my hearing is actually scheduled for April 8th but the notice was just sent out yesterday! Talk about cutting it close. Anyway, I'm now frantically organizing all my documentation. Thank you all for the advice and support. This system is absolutely broken, but at least I have a date now and can prepare my case.