ESD put my claim back into adjudication after identity verification - payments pending again

This happened to me in January. After I submitted my ID documents, my claim went back into adjudication for exactly 7 business days. It's actually a good sign that someone from investigations already called you - that means they're actively working on it. With my situation, my payments were released the day after the adjudication ended without me having to do anything. Just keep filing your weekly claims while you wait!

Thank you for sharing your experience! Seven business days doesn't sound too terrible. Did they tell you why they needed to verify your identity? I've been on unemployment before and never had to go through this.

this is normal procedure they do this to prevent fraud theres alot of scammers trying to get benefits they dont deserve. just be patient your money will come thru eventually

It's NOT normal! ESD is deliberately creating these extra hoops to jump through so people give up claiming what they're rightfully owed. I was stuck in this EXACT same situation for THREE MONTHS last year while they \

This is part of ESD's enhanced identity verification process that they implemented in 2023. What's happening is your claim was initially approved, but then got flagged during a secondary review. Once you provide the ID verification (which you did correctly by uploading the documents they requested), they have to review everything again.\n\nA few important things to know:\n1. The fact that someone from their investigation unit called you is actually promising - it means they're actively working on your case.\n2. Keep filing your weekly claims even while in adjudication.\n3. Most ID verification adjudications are resolving within 7-14 days right now.\n4. If it goes longer than 2 weeks, you can request an escalation through your eServices message center.\n\nThe most important thing is not to miss any weekly claims during this period, as you can't backfile them later if they're more than a week late.

Thank you so much for the detailed explanation. That helps ease my mind a bit. I'll definitely keep filing my weekly claims. Do you know if there's any way to speed up the process? I really need these payments to come through.

I had a similar thing happen but it was because I accidentally put my old address on one form and my new address on another and they thought I was committing fraud lol. Their system is so broken its almost funny except when your waiting for $$ to pay bills!!

Ugh, that's frustrating! I double checked all my info and it should be consistent, but who knows what might have triggered this. The timing is just terrible with rent coming due.

If you've already been waiting more than a week since uploading your ID documents, I strongly recommend trying to speak directly with an ESD agent. Regular phone lines are nearly impossible to get through, but I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) last month when my claim got stuck in adjudication. They got me connected to an ESD rep in about 20 minutes who was able to expedite my ID verification on the spot. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3\n\nMy adjudication was resolved the next day after speaking with someone. Sometimes these claims just need a human to look at them instead of sitting in the automated queue.

I've never heard of Claimyr before. I'll check out that video. At this point I'm willing to try anything to get this resolved faster. Did they explain why your claim got flagged for ID verification in the first place?

wait so did they pay u already and then put u back in adjudication? or did they never pay u yet?

They paid me the backpay for my first 6 weeks of claims (about $4,200), but now my newest weekly claim from yesterday is stuck as 'pending' because they put me back in adjudication after requesting identity verification.

To answer your question about why they needed to verify your identity - the agent told me it's because I had recently changed my address and phone number around the same time I filed my claim. They're really cracking down on fraud cases so any changes to personal information can trigger a verification request. In my case, I had moved to a new apartment and switched cell carriers in the same month I got laid off - totally legitimate reasons but their system flagged it.

That makes sense in my case too! I changed my address about 3 weeks ago and then had to update my banking info last week because my old account was closed. Those changes probably triggered something in their system.

THE EXACT SAME THING happened to me!!! I got approved, got my backpay, then BAM - thrown back into adjudication for

While I understand your frustration, 5 weeks is not typical for identity verification. The current average processing time is 7-14 days according to ESD's latest performance metrics. Some claims do take longer if there are complications or if additional documentation is needed, but most are resolved within two weeks. It's important to keep filing weekly claims during this period.

@OP - to answer your question, when I called through Claimyr and got an ESD agent on the phone, they told me my claim was flagged because my earnings history showed income from multiple states within the past 18 months (I had moved from Oregon to Washington). Apparently this is another common trigger for identity verification. The agent was able to verify everything while I was on the phone and expedited the final review. The adjudication was removed the next day.

Thanks for the follow-up. I haven't worked in multiple states, but I did change jobs about 8 months ago, so maybe that plus my address and banking changes all looked suspicious together. I'm going to try reaching them tomorrow since it seems like talking to an actual person is the fastest way to resolve this.

Quick update on timeframes: I just checked the ESD performance dashboard, and as of March 2025, about 65% of identity verification adjudications are being completed within 10 days. However, the remaining 35% are taking up to 21 days. \n\nIf you don't see movement by the end of next week, I would definitely recommend trying to speak with an agent directly to check on status and potentially request an escalation if you're experiencing financial hardship.

Thank you for checking that! It's helpful to have realistic expectations. I'll give it until next Friday and then try to get through to someone if it's still pending. I appreciate everyone's help and advice here.