ESD falsely claims I worked for an employer I never worked for - stuck in adjudication

I had almost the exact same situation last year. It's probably a case of employer identity mix-up or someone using your SSN. You need to contact ESD ASAP to dispute this. The fastest way to resolve this is to get an adjudicator on the phone so you can explain the situation directly. The adjudication can take 3-8 weeks otherwise, and yes, unfortunately they do hold payments during this time. Make sure you continue filing your weekly claims even though payments are paused. When the issue is resolved, they'll pay all weeks you qualified for in one lump sum.

this happened 2 my friend!!! they said he worked at some restaurant in tacoma but he lived in vancouver lol. took like 6 weeks to fix. ESD is the worst

You need to upload documentation proving you didn't work there. Go to your eServices account > Claims > Upload Document. Include a written statement explaining you've never worked for this employer, along with any documentation that shows where you actually were working during that time (W-2s, paystubs from your real employer, etc.). Also, report this to the Office of Special Investigations as potential identity theft: https://esd.wa.gov/unemployment/unemployment-benefits-fraud Keep calling ESD early in the morning right when they open - that's your best chance of getting through.

I tried calling ESD for two weeks straight for a different issue and couldn't get through. Then I discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an ESD agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. For something like identity confusion, you definitely need to talk to a real person ASAP rather than waiting for the adjudication process.

THIS IS IDENTITY THEFT!!!! Someone else is using your info to collect benefits or work under your name. It happened to me in 2023 and it was a NIGHTMARE to fix! Call the fraud department NOW and also pull your credit reports to see what else might be compromised. This is SERIOUS and ESD is TERRIBLE at handling it properly. I had to get my state representative involved before they fixed mine. I still have PTSD from dealing with their useless system.

Also important: make sure you respond to ANY requests for information from ESD within their deadlines (usually 5-10 days). Check your eServices Message Center daily, and be sure to check both regular mail and your email spam folder. If they request info and you don't respond in time, they could make an adverse decision automatically.

just curious whats the company they say u worked for? my cousin had this happen with some place called evergreen staffing and it turned out they mixed up ssn's with someone with similar name

Update us on what happens! Your case sounds resolvable but you need to be persistent. Document everything - dates you called, documents you submitted, etc. This will be helpful if you need to escalate the case later. Most importantly, keep filing your weekly claims even during adjudication so you'll get backpay once it's resolved.