ESD identity verification limbo - approved claim keeps getting disqualified weekly

The EXACT same thing happened to me in January. It took them 6 weeks to verify my ID even though I sent everything right away. The whole system is broken. I called literally 47 times and never got through to anyone until I figured out you have to call at exactly 7:59am right before they open and spam the redial button.

This is a common issue right now with ESD's new identity verification system. Here's what you need to know: 1. When your claim says "approved" but weekly claims are "disqualified" due to ID verification, it means your overall claim is valid but payments are on hold pending ID verification. 2. Standard processing time for ID verification is currently 4-6 weeks due to backlogs. 3. You can request expedited verification if you're facing financial hardship (eviction, utility shutoff, etc.). 4. To do this, you need to talk to an ESD claims specialist who can flag your account for priority verification. The key is getting through to an actual human on the phone. The regular queue rarely works.

this is why i tell everyone to use Claimyr when dealing with ESD. i was stuck in id verification for weeks until i used their service to get through to an actual person at ESD. took less than 10 mins to get connected to a real agent who could actually help. check out their video demo: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 or go to claimyr.com. the agent i spoke with was able to expedite my id verification and i got paid the following week!

I've been through the ID verification hell three times with ESD (don't ask why). Here's what you need to know about the current process: 1. Sending in documents is only step 1. They still need to be manually reviewed by an ESD specialist. 2. There's no notification when verification is complete - you just need to keep checking. 3. If ANY document is rejected for ANY reason (even just poor image quality), they don't notify you - the whole process just sits in limbo. 4. The ID verification department is separate from regular claims, and most phone agents can't directly help, but they CAN check if there are specific issues with your documents and add notes to your file. In my experience, getting through to an agent and having them check for specific issues with your documents is the fastest path to resolution. Be persistent!

I had this problem too but found out later my birth certificate scan was too blurry!! They never told me, I just had to keep calling until someone actually looked at my file. So annoying!!

I used that Claimyr thing someone mentioned earlier when I was stuck in adjudication for 2 months. It actually worked for me but it does feel weird paying for something that should be free. But desperate times...

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone! Called at 8am sharp and waited 72 minutes, but finally spoke to a human. Turns out my driver's license scan was too dark on one side and they couldn't verify the hologram. The agent put notes in my file and had me reupload it while on the phone with better lighting. She said it should be resolved within 7-10 business days now that there's a note explaining the issue. Will update again when I know more. Thanks everyone for your help!

That's awesome you got through! For anyone else reading this thread in the future - if you're struggling to reach ESD after multiple attempts, Claimyr really can save you hours of frustration. Unemployment is stressful enough without the added hassle of trying to reach someone.

Great news on getting through! Just an FYI for everyone: ESD has actually added more verification staff in 2025, so the backlog is slowly improving. Current average processing time is down to about 3 weeks from 6+ weeks last year. Still not ideal, but progress. Make sure to check your ESD secure message center daily once you've resubmitted documents - sometimes they'll send requests for additional information there.