ESD requesting medical documents for standby when workplace flooded?

Is anyone else dealing with bizarre ESD requests? My workplace got hit with a major water main break last week - literally 4 feet of water throughout the facility. Boss told everyone to apply for standby unemployment while repairs happen (probably 3-4 weeks). I submitted my claim explaining the situation, checked the standby box, and included my employer's contact info. Today I got a notification saying I need to upload MEDICAL DOCUMENTS?? What medical documents would I possibly have for a workplace flood? Has the ESD system completely lost it? My coworkers applied too but haven't heard back yet. Anyone know what's going on or how to fix this without spending days trying to reach someone on the phone?

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14 comments

Liam Cortez

•9M

This sounds like the system has incorrectly categorized your standby request. When you applied for standby, did you specifically select "Temporary layoff/shutdown" as your reason? If you selected anything health-related or if the employer reported it incorrectly, it can trigger a medical documentation request. You'll need to call ESD to have this corrected. Make sure to have your claim ID number, employer's business name, and the exact date of the incident ready. They'll need to manually override the category in their system.

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Mason Stone

•9M

This is a common error in the ESD system that affects standby claims. The system sometimes defaults to requiring medical documentation when certain keywords are detected in the initial claim description. I've seen this happen with floods, fires, and other temporary business closures. To resolve this properly: 1. Don't upload random medical documents - this will only confuse your claim further 2. Submit a message through your eServices portal clearly explaining this is a BUSINESS CLOSURE standby situation, not medical 3. Ask your employer to verify the temporary closure reason in their employer portal 4. Try to reach an ESD agent by phone (though I know that's extremely difficult

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Makayla Shoemaker

•9M

I work as an unemployment navigator and see this specific issue frequently. When applying for standby due to workplace closures (like your flood situation), the system sometimes misinterprets short-term standby requests as medical standby requests, especially if certain keywords appeared in your application. Two things you need to know: 1. Don't upload random medical documentation - this will only complicate your claim further 2. This needs to be corrected by an ESD claims specialist who can change the coding in the system Since you're having trouble getting through on the phone, you might want to try Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that helps you get through to ESD without waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 I've recommended it to several people dealing with similar coding errors on their claims. Much faster than waiting weeks for ESD to process an eServices message.

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Lucas Lindsey

•9M

This is definitely frustrating but appears to be a system issue rather than someone manually checking boxes incorrectly. The ESD claims processing system was updated in 2023-2024 and has been having categorization problems ever since, especially with standby claims. The system now has three standby categories: 1. Employer-requested standby (temporary layoff) 2. Medical standby (when you're temporarily unable to work) 3. Military spouse standby (for relocated military families) It sounds like the system is incorrectly categorizing your employer-requested standby as a medical standby. You'll need to speak with a claims specialist who can correct the category in the system. Until this is fixed, your claim will remain pending.

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Jason Brewer

•9M

UPDATE: Finally got this resolved! Used that Claimyr service someone mentioned below and actually got through to ESD in about 30 minutes! The agent confirmed exactly what you all said - the system had incorrectly flagged my standby claim as medical standby instead of employer-requested standby. She fixed it immediately and told me my claim should process normally now. Thanks everyone for the help and advice! For anyone else dealing with this issue, definitely worth paying to get through rather than waiting weeks for them to respond to messages.

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