ESD finally moved my pending claims after 7 weeks by calling governor's office
Just wanted to share a success story after weeks of frustration! I've been filing my weekly claims for almost 7 weeks with ALL of them stuck in 'pending' status. It was driving me crazy! Nothing would change in eServices, and the messages I sent through the portal went completely unanswered. Every single time I called ESD, I got the infamous "we're experiencing high call volume" message before being disconnected. Out of desperation yesterday, I called the governor's office and selected option 3. Miraculously, I got a call back from ESD TODAY and they finally moved my claim forward! Just like that, after 7 weeks of nothing. Has anyone else been stuck in pending limbo? Did you find another way to get movement on your claim? I'm sharing this in case it helps someone else who's ready to pull their hair out waiting.
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Sean O'Brien
OMG thank you for sharing this!!! I'm on week 5 of pending hell and was about to give up. Never thought about calling the governor's office. What exactly did you say when you called them?
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Anastasia Smirnova
•I just explained my situation honestly - that I've been filing consistently for 7 weeks, all claims were pending with no movement, couldn't get through to anyone at ESD despite multiple attempts, and I was getting desperate about bills. They took my contact info and claim ID, and said they'd forward it to ESD. I was skeptical but got a call back literally the next day!
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Zara Shah
Pending for 6 weeks here. This system is BROKEN beyond belief. They expect us to file every week but then don't process anything?? I'll try the governor trick tomorrow, but shouldn't have to play these games just to get what we're entitled to!
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Luca Bianchi
•While contacting the governor's office can work, I recommend also trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get through to an actual ESD agent after weeks of busy signals. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. I was skeptical but it connected me to ESD within an hour, and the agent cleared all my pending payments on the spot.
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GalacticGuardian
I'm glad that worked for you. I called the governor's office twice and never got anywhere. My sister had luck emailing her state representative though. Worth trying multiple avenues I guess.
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Anastasia Smirnova
•Sorry to hear the governor's office didn't work for you! I think the state rep route is definitely worth trying too. It seems like the key is finding ANYONE with connections to ESD who can flag your claim. Crazy that we have to go through elected officials just to get our claims processed.
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Nia Harris
Any idea what was causing the delay? Did they explain why it sat in pending for 7 weeks? My claim just hit week 4 of pending and I'm worried there's some issue they haven't told me about.
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Anastasia Smirnova
•They said there was an "adjudication issue" that somehow didn't show up in my online account. Something about my last employer not responding to their initial verification quickly enough. But they never notified me about this! The ESD agent who called seemed surprised I wasn't informed. They pushed it through manually once they saw how long I'd been waiting.
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Mateo Gonzalez
This is unfortunately quite common. There are several reasons claims get stuck in pending status: 1. Identity verification issues 2. Employer response delays 3. Adjudication queue backlog 4. System flags that require manual review If your claim has been pending for 3+ weeks, you should definitely be proactive. The governor's office approach works because they have dedicated ESD liaisons. State representatives and senators can also help. Document all your attempts to contact ESD as this can help if you need to request backdating later.
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Aisha Ali
•do u know if this affects people on standby status too? mine says pending but im on standby and keep filing every week like they told me too
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Mateo Gonzalez
Yes, standby status claims can also get stuck in pending. Even though you're on standby (meaning you're temporarily laid off and expected to return to your employer), your weekly claims still go through the same processing system. Continue filing weekly as required, but if you're seeing multiple weeks in pending status, you should take the same steps to resolve it.
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Luca Bianchi
•Exactly right. Standby status only exempts you from job search requirements - it doesn't change how your claim is processed. I've seen many standby claims get stuck in the same pending loop. The key is finding a way to get someone at ESD to actually look at your specific claim.
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Ethan Moore
I've been stuck in pending for 4 weeks and just yesterday all my payments suddenly showed as "disqualified" with no explanation!! Now I'm completely freaking out because I don't know what happened or what to do. Has anyone had this happen and managed to fix it??
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Mateo Gonzalez
•When a claim changes from pending to disqualified, it means a determination was made on your claim. You should receive a written determination in your ESD account or by mail explaining why. Check your ESD account under "Decisions/Determinations" section. You have the right to appeal within 30 days of the determination date. File your appeal immediately while also trying to reach an agent who might be able to explain or correct the issue if it was a mistake.
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Zara Shah
Tried calling the governor's office today and got voicemail. Left a message but not holding my breath. This is RIDICULOUS that we have to go through elected officials just to get ESD to do their job!!
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GalacticGuardian
•They usually call back within 24-48 hours in my experience. But yeah, it's crazy we have to do this. My cousin had to email four different state officials before someone helped him. The whole system is a mess.
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Sean O'Brien
Has anyone had their claims FINALLY processed after being pending forever, only to then have the payments get stuck in processing? That's where I am now - they fixed my pending claims but the money hasn't hit my account after 5 days!
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Nia Harris
•The first payment after resolving pending claims can take 3-5 business days depending on your bank. ESD told me if it doesn't arrive within 6 business days to contact them again. Did you check that your payment method is set up correctly in eServices?
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Aisha Ali
i treid calling the number like 20 times today and it just hangs up every time. what time did u call the governors office????
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Anastasia Smirnova
•I called around 10:30 AM on a Tuesday. I'm not sure if timing matters for the governor's office, but I've heard ESD itself is less busy right when they open or in the late afternoon. Keep trying, and maybe try the governor's office at different times if you don't get through!
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