ESD putting seasonal construction workers in adjudication every winter - 4-8 weeks delay despite clean history

I'm a seasonal worker in agriculture and YES, this has been happening to me too! Every winter since 2021, I've been stuck in adjudication for 6+ weeks despite having a perfect claim history. It's absolutely a blanket policy now. My ESD agent finally admitted they implemented this extended review period as a fraud prevention measure after all the pandemic scams. The system is basically punishing legitimate claimants because they got burned by scammers. It's incredibly frustrating when you've been following the rules for years.

i just filed last week (landscaping) and yep, adjudication already. 3rd winter in a row. my buddy works for a roofing company and his claim went through in 5 days tho?? makes no sense. maybe its just certain construction jobs they target?

This extended adjudication period is indeed standard practice now, but there are some things you can do to potentially speed up the process. Make sure your employer has submitted the required separation information promptly - delays often happen when ESD is waiting on employer verification. Also, check your ESD account messages daily and respond immediately to any information requests. For seasonal workers with clean claim history, I recommend calling ESD directly and requesting an expedited review based on your established pattern of seasonal work and previous successful claims. Be persistent but polite. The system is backlogged, but advocating for yourself can make a difference.

THEY ARE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE!!!! I worked fishing industry for 12 years and now suddenly every claim gets "review" for months! They hope people give up or find other work before they have to pay! It's a SCAM to save money by delaying until people are desperate!!! The whole system is rigged against workers.

After 3 weeks of waiting for my adjudication this winter (lumber mill worker), I found this service called Claimyr that helped me actually reach a live ESD agent. I was getting absolutely nowhere with regular calls - just disconnects and busy signals for days. I was skeptical but checked out their video demo (https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3) and decided to try it through their website claimyr.com. Got connected to an actual ESD rep in about 20 minutes who reviewed my case and pushed it through since it was a straightforward seasonal claim with history. Might be worth trying if you're hitting a wall with regular contact methods.

my cousin works for esd (not saying which office lol) and she says they're super understaffed still. like half the people who processed claims during covid quit and they havent replaced them all. so yeah everyones in adjudication forever now

I've been handling unemployment claims for seasonal construction workers for about 15 years now, and you're absolutely right that the process has changed dramatically since 2020. Here's what's happening: ESD implemented much stricter verification protocols after the massive fraud during the pandemic. While frustrating, this isn't targeted at construction specifically - it's affecting all industries. However, there are some specific factors that might cause construction workers to face more scrutiny: 1. Multiple employers within a calendar year (common in construction) 2. Higher wage claims (construction often pays well, leading to higher benefit amounts) 3. Repeat seasonal claims (ironically, the very pattern that should make approval easier) What's worked for my clients is providing extremely detailed work search logs and ensuring all employer information is 100% accurate. Also, having your employer contact ESD directly to confirm the seasonal nature of the work can help expedite things. The good news is that benefits are typically backdated once approved, but I understand that doesn't help with immediate bills.

Update on my earlier comment - I finally got through to a supervisor at ESD today and was told they actually do have a "trusted claimant" program they're rolling out for people with consistent seasonal claim history. It's not fully implemented yet, but you might want to specifically ask about it when you call. Apparently if you've had 3+ years of clean claims with the same seasonal pattern, you can request to be added to this expedited review process for future claims.

just got my first payment today!!! only took 5 weeks this time which is better than the 9 weeks last year i guess lol. progress?