ESD identity verification wait time - still 5-6 weeks for claim renewal in 2025?

Unfortunately, yes. My benefit year ended in February and I had to go through the same ID verification nightmare. Took exactly 5 weeks and 3 days before they finally processed everything and released my payments. The most frustrating part was seeing my weekly claims just pile up as 'pending' with no updates. Call center was completely useless - either couldn't get through or the agents just said 'wait for processing to complete' with no additional info.

The official ESD guidance still states 4-6 weeks for identity verification processing when renewing claims. The key factors that can affect your wait time are: 1. Whether all your documents are clearly legible 2. If your name/address exactly matches across all documents 3. Whether you've had previous identity verification issues 4. Current ESD backlog volume I processed my renewal in January and it actually only took 3 weeks, but I made sure everything was perfect - high-resolution scans, all information matching exactly, and I included a detailed explanation message with my submission.

Quick tip: make sure you continue filing your weekly claims during this waiting period! A lot of people stop filing because they think there's no point while waiting for ID verification, but you need those weeks on record. Once your ID is verified, they'll process all those weeks at once (assuming you meet all other eligibility requirements).

i had this same problem but mine took almost 8 WEEKS!!!! never got any updates or notifications either just randomly got all my payments one day. the system is completly broken if u ask me

I went thru this identity verification last month for my claim renewal. You should try Claimyr if you want to actually reach a human at ESD. It helped me get through to someone who could at least tell me where my verification was in the process. Not instant approval but gave me peace of mind knowing what was happening. Check out their video to see how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 and their website claimyr.com. I was skeptical but it actually connected me with an ESD agent in about 25 minutes after I had spent days trying on my own.

The whole identity verification process is RIDICULOUS! I understand they need to prevent fraud but 5-6 weeks?? In what world is that acceptable? Meanwhile bills don't wait, rent doesn't wait, groceries don't wait. I went through this last quarter and literally had to borrow money from family to avoid getting evicted while ESD took their sweet time. And god forbid you call to check status - "it's in process" is all they'll tell you. THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!!!!

One important thing to note is that ID verification timeframes can vary significantly based on current claim volume. January-March tends to be the busiest period with the longest waits (post-holiday seasonal layoffs). May-August is often faster processing. So if you're renewing now in April/May, you might see somewhat quicker turnaround than the January rush reports.

fyi my cousin works at esd (not in claims tho) and she says they're actually trying to get verification times down to 3 weeks by mid-2025 but they're still understaffed in that department. also some ppl get randomly selected for extra verification which takes longer

I just went through this process and my verification took exactly 4 weeks. But here's what I learned might help: 1. Send a polite follow-up message through your ESD portal after week 2 2. Make sure your contact info is 100% up to date 3. If you haven't already, upload BOTH primary and secondary ID documents 4. Check your portal messages daily for any requests for additional information In my case, they actually needed one additional document after my initial submission, but I didn't see the message for several days, which probably added a week to my wait time.

After my long wait, I found out from an agent that my claim got stuck because my married name is on my license but my birth name was on my SS card. So make sure all your docs match exactly! They never contacted me about this discrepancy - I had to call multiple times to figure it out.

Update to my earlier comment - the ESD website now says verification timelines are "4-6 weeks" rather than "5-6 weeks" as of their April 2025 update. Small improvement but shows they're at least working on the backlog. Make sure you check your spam folder daily too - some ESD communications get filtered there.