ESD finally paid after 8 weeks of pending - some hope for those still waiting

CONGRATS!!! This gives me so much hope. Im on week 5 of pending hell and starting to lose my mind. Did you have to talk to an adjudicator or did it suddenly change without any contact from them?

It actually changed without any direct contact from an adjudicator! That's what surprised me the most - I'd been expecting to get a call or message first. Just randomly checked my account yesterday and saw the status had changed. The only notification I got was an automated email saying 'Your payment has been processed' AFTER it already showed paid in the system.

This is pretty standard with ESD right now. They're working through a massive backlog of claims needing adjudication. From what I understand from an inside source, they're prioritizing claims by filing date and hardship level. The good news is once one payment processes, the rest typically follow in sequence.\n\nOne tip: make sure you're still submitting your weekly claims even while pending. I've seen people get approved but then have to wait additional weeks because they stopped filing, thinking it was pointless during the pending period.

Yes! I forgot to mention that - I kept filing every single week even though it felt useless. Really glad I did because everything processed at once without any gaps. Thanks for the reminder for others!

wait so the money isnt even in your account yet and your celebrating? my claims switched to paid once and then got stuck in processing for another 3 weeks before i actually got paid lol dont count your chickens

That's unnecessarily pessimistic. While processing times can vary, when claims move from pending to paid status, it typically means the payment has been authorized and is being processed through the banking system. Most people see deposits within 24-72 hours of status changing to paid, unless there's a bank holiday or weekend delay. \n\nOP has every right to celebrate this significant progress after 8 weeks of waiting. The hardest part is getting through adjudication.

Thank you for this. And update: just checked my account and the money actually came through this morning! Less than 24 hours after the status changed to paid.

I've been stuck in pending for 7 weeks now and literally cannot get through to anyone at ESD. I've tried calling 30+ times and either get disconnected or am told the wait time is over 4 hours. I'm so frustrated I could scream! Did you do anything special to get through on the phone? I'm about to lose my apartment because my landlord doesn't care that ESD is slow.

Not OP but I was in your exact situation last month. I finally got through using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they basically hold your place in line and call you when they get an agent. Saved me hours of redial hell. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3\n\nWorth every penny since I was able to speak to someone who fixed an issue with my claim that had been pending for 6 weeks. My money started flowing the next day.

Thank you!!!! I've never heard of this service before but I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point. Just watched the video and it looks pretty straightforward. Gonna try it tomorrow morning. Did the ESD agent give you any attitude about using a service to get through?

Hate to be that person but did u have any issues with identity verification? That's what's holding up my claim according to the one message I got from them. They said my drivers license photo was \

Yes! That was actually the biggest headache. My first batch of ID docs apparently didn't meet their requirements (though they never told me exactly why). For the second submission, I made sure to:\n\n1. Take photos in bright natural light\n2. Make sure ALL four corners of each document were visible\n3. Submit multiple forms of ID (license, passport, and a utility bill)\n4. Name each file clearly (FirstName_LastName_IDType)\n\nNo idea if all that was necessary, but it seemed to work! Might be worth resubmitting with those tips in mind.

my sister waited 12 weeks last year so your actually lucky believe it or not lol ESD is the worst

Just a friendly reminder to everyone that if you're experiencing a genuine financial hardship due to claim delays, you should explicitly request a hardship escalation when contacting ESD. Under their current policies, claims with documented hardships (potential eviction, utility shutoffs, inability to afford medications) are supposed to be prioritized.\n\nSome specific language that helps: \

Is there somewhere specific you have to submit hardship documentation? I told the agent about my hardship when I finally got through last week but they didn't ask for any proof or tell me how to submit it. Now I'm worried my case isn't actually being escalated like they said it would be.

Great question. You should both mention it verbally AND upload documentation to your account. Go to your eServices portal, select

Update for everyone: The money actually hit my account this morning! Less than 24 hours after the status changed from pending to paid. I'm honestly in shock at how quickly it moved once it finally got approved.\n\nThanks again for all the support during the wait. This community has been a lifesaver for my mental health during this stressful time. Sending all the good vibes to those still waiting - your turn is coming!

So happy for you!!! Hope I'm posting my success story soon too!

This is such an encouraging post to read! I'm currently on week 3 of pending status and was starting to get really anxious about it. Knowing that yours took 8 weeks but eventually came through gives me some perspective. I've been doing the Tuesday morning calls too but haven't had luck getting through yet. Going to try the portal messaging approach you mentioned - I hadn't thought of explaining my hardship situation in detail there. Quick question: when you uploaded your ID docs the second time, did you get any kind of confirmation that they received them? I submitted mine last week but the system doesn't really give you much feedback on whether they actually got processed. Congrats again on finally getting your payment! Stories like this keep the rest of us going.