ESD stuck on 'waiting week' status - what number works to reach a REAL person?

waiting week is normal, its the first week of ur claim when u dont get paid

The waiting week status is actually normal and can stay that way longer than you'd expect. Here's what's happening: Even though you've completed your waiting week and filed your first payable weekly claim, the system often keeps displaying 'waiting week' until they finish processing everything, which includes any potential identity verification or employer response checks. The standard ESD number (800-318-6022) is unfortunately almost impossible to get through on. Before you panic, check your 'Payments' section in eServices to see if there's a payment scheduled that just hasn't been reflected in the status yet. Sometimes the payment processes while the status lags behind.

I was in this EXACT same situation last month! Super frustrating. My claim was stuck showing "waiting week" for almost 3 weeks before it finally updated. Called that useless main number about 30 times and either got hung up on or waited for hours only to be told "it's still processing" 🙄 What FINALLY worked for me was using Claimyr to get through to an actual ESD agent who could see what was happening. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 The agent told me my claim had been flagged for a routine employer verification that was taking longer than usual. She processed it while I was on the phone and my payment came through two days later.

Sometimes what's happening is your claim has a small issue that needs to be addressed but the system doesn't clearly show it to you. When I had this problem, it turned out I had answered one of the eligibility questions in a way that triggered a review, but there was no notification of this on my account. In my experience, the waiting week status should change after 7-10 business days if everything is proceeding normally. If it's been longer than that, something is likely holding up your claim. You could also try sending a secure message through your eServices account. Sometimes they respond to those faster than you can get through on the phone. Just be very specific about your issue in the message.

my claim did this too!! so annoying!! i just kept filing my weekly claims anyway and suddenly after 3 weeks i got a huge deposit with backpay for all the weeks!!! never even talked to anyone lol just keep filing!!!!

Ugggghhhh the ESD system is BROKEN BEYOND REPAIR. I went through this exact nightmare scenario in January. Waiting week status for TWENTY-THREE DAYS with zero explanation! When I finally got through to someone they said "oh we needed to verify something with your employer" - THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT THREE WEEKS AGO???? The whole system is designed to frustrate people into giving up. They WANT you to abandon your claim. Don't let them win! Keep calling, keep messaging, and document EVERYTHING in case you need to appeal.

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone! Used the Claimyr service mentioned below and got connected to an ESD agent in about 15 minutes. Turns out there was an employer verification issue - my former company hadn't responded to ESD's request for information. The agent submitted an override since it had been more than 10 days with no employer response. She said my payment should process in 48-72 hours. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!