ESD stuck after monetary determination since 8/29 - only worked 3 weeks at job
I got laid off on August 26th, 2024 from a job I only had for 3 weeks (company said they were restructuring). They paid me through that week, and I've filed for unemployment right away. I've been super diligent about filing my weekly claims every Monday and completing all my job search requirements (the 3 activities each week). The problem is there's been ZERO movement in my ESD account since August 29th, when a monetary determination appeared. That's it. Nothing else has happened for weeks now. No updates, no messages asking for more info, nothing about adjudication or approval/denial. Just... silence. Is this normal? Are they just really backed up right now? I've tried calling the 800-318-6022 number multiple times but either get disconnected or sit on hold forever. I'm starting to get seriously worried because bills are piling up. Has anybody else experienced this kind of delay recently? Is there something I'm missing because I only worked at my last employer for such a short time?
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Ravi Patel
same thing happning to me right now... filed August 31 and only got monetary determination on sept 2. nothing since then. cant get anyone on phone either. super frustrating!!!
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Emma Johnson
•That's exactly my situation! Have you tried messaging them through the portal? I sent two messages last week but no response to those either.
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Astrid Bergström
Your short employment period is likely triggering what's called a "wage investigation." When you've only worked somewhere briefly, ESD has to verify your wages with the employer and potentially look at your base year employment history to determine eligibility. This often happens silently in the background without any status updates in your portal. Keep filing your weekly claims and documenting your job search activities while this process continues. The monetary determination only means they've calculated what you'd potentially receive IF approved, not that you're approved yet.
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Emma Johnson
•Thank you for explaining! I had no idea about the wage investigation thing. Do you know roughly how long this typically takes? And is there anything I can do to speed things up?
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PixelPrincess
OMG I'm going through EXACTLY the same thing!!!!! I was at my job for only 4 months before being laid off (Sept 10) and I'm stuck at monetary determination too!! I'm FREAKING OUT because my rent is due next week and I have no idea if I'll ever see a penny. The ESD website is so confusing and unhelpful - like why can't they just tell us what's happening with our claims??? Has anyone found ANY way to actually talk to a real person there? I've called like 20 times and either get hung up on or the recording says they're experiencing high call volumes.
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Omar Farouk
•I was in a similar situation last year. The thing most people don't realize is that when you file with limited work history at your most recent employer, ESD has to conduct a more thorough review. Your claim is likely in adjudication, but they don't always update the status to reflect this. In my experience, the best way to resolve this is to actually speak with an ESD agent who can look at the backend of your claim and see what's really happening. I tried for weeks using the regular number without success, but then I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual ESD agent in about 30 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 Once I got through to someone, they were able to tell me my claim was stuck because they needed additional documentation about my previous employment. Within a week after providing that info, my claim was processed.
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Chloe Martin
The ESD system is DESIGNED to make you give up. I worked for 15 years, never once filed unemployment. Got laid off last March, and it took 8 WEEKS to get my first payment. No explanation, no communication, nothing. Just silence. They count on people getting frustrated and giving up. Don't listen to anyone who says "just wait" - you HAVE to be proactive. Keep calling, keep documenting everything. The system is BROKEN and they WON'T fix it because it saves them money when people give up!!! And they wonder why people hate government agencies...
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Diego Fernández
•While I understand your frustration, I don't think ESD is intentionally trying to make people give up. The unemployment system in WA gets overwhelmed periodically. They're understaffed and working with outdated technology. It's not great, but it's not a conspiracy. To the original poster - your short employment period might be triggering additional review, which can extend processing time. But keep filing weekly claims no matter what.
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Anastasia Kuznetsov
Went thru this last fall. For me the issue was that when I worked less than 6 weeks at a job, they needed to verify if I quit or was fired/laid off. Employer wasn't responding to their inquiries which caused the delay. Eventually got approved but took almost 2 months total. Hang in there and keep filing those weekly claims!
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Astrid Bergström
One important thing to remember is that under Washington state law, ESD technically has 21 days to make a determination on your claim, but that's just a guideline - not a hard deadline. With shorter employment periods, they often need to investigate more thoroughly. Some things that could help: 1. Check if your previous employers before this 3-week job are accurately listed in your claim 2. Make sure you've answered all the separation questions accurately (reason for job loss) 3. Continue filing weekly claims without fail 4. If you have any documentation about your layoff (like a termination letter mentioning restructuring), upload it to your ESD account And as frustrating as it is, sometimes the only solution is managing to reach an agent by phone.
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Emma Johnson
•Thank you for the detailed advice! I do have an email from my manager confirming the layoff was due to restructuring. I'll upload that to my account tonight. And I'll double-check my previous employer info too - maybe something's incorrect there.
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Sean Fitzgerald
my cousin works for ESD (not saying where) and she says they're dealing with a huge backlog right now because they switched some computer system in August and it's created all kinds of problems. she said especially claims with short work history are getting stuck. might explain why so many people here are having the same issue recently!
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Ravi Patel
•that explains ALOT actually. wish they would just tell us that instead of leaving us in the dark!
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Emma Johnson
Update: I finally managed to get through to ESD this morning after calling right when they opened at 8:00am! The agent confirmed my claim is in adjudication specifically because of my short employment period. They need to verify with my employer that I was laid off and not fired for cause. The agent said this typically takes 4-6 weeks to resolve but can sometimes take longer if they have trouble getting information from the employer. She advised me to keep filing weekly claims and assured me that if approved, I'll receive all backdated payments. She also mentioned they're dealing with higher than normal volume right now, so wait times are longer than usual. Just wanted to share this info in case it helps anyone else in a similar situation!
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Astrid Bergström
•Thanks for the update! This is exactly what I suspected was happening. The adjudication process for work separation issues can be time-consuming, especially when it involves a short employment period. The good news is that you now know what's happening and can plan accordingly. Make sure you keep a copy of any correspondence from your employer about the layoff being due to restructuring - that will be valuable evidence for your claim.
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