ESD suddenly demanding identity verification after years of open claims - what's going on?

This is actually happening to a lot of people right now. ESD implemented a new identity verification system in January 2025 and they're gradually running EVERYONE through it, even long-term claimants with established histories. It's part of their new fraud prevention measures after that massive fraud scandal last year. The good news is that if you've already uploaded his ID and SS card, it should process within 5-7 business days. Make sure the images are clear and all four corners of the documents are visible in the photos. If it goes longer than a week, you'll need to contact ESD directly.

Thanks for explaining! That makes more sense now - the letter didn't mention anything about a new system rollout. Do you know if we need to keep filing his weekly claims while waiting for the identity verification to process? I'm worried about missing a week and having to restart the whole claim.

same thing happend to my wife last month!!! took almost 3 weeks to clear up and we couldnt get anyone on the phone. sooooo frustrating

3 weeks?? We can't go that long without getting paid! Did they backpay for the weeks that were on hold during verification?

This is definitely part of ESD's new identity verification system. I went through this in March. Here's what you need to know:\n\n1. KEEP FILING WEEKLY CLAIMS even while identity verification is pending. They will be held until verification is complete, but you must keep filing to get paid for those weeks.\n\n2. In addition to driver's license and SS card, they might also request a selfie photo or video call verification if their automated system flags anything unusual.\n\n3. The standard processing time is 5-7 business days, but it's taking 10-14 days for many people right now due to high volume.\n\n4. If it's not resolved within 2 weeks, you need to contact ESD directly. Good luck getting through on the phone though - I tried for days.\n\n5. Once verified, all held payments should release within 48 hours.\n\nHope this helps!

This is super helpful, thank you! The video call verification thing is news to me - I hope we don't have to do that since my husband works during their business hours. I'll make sure he keeps filing those weekly claims though, that's really important info!

i think its so RIDICULOUS they can just randomly decide they need to verify someone who theyve been paying for YEARS!!! my brother had the same thing happen and he lost 2 weeks of payments cause they took forever to process it. the whole system is designed to deny people benefits i swear

I know, right? It feels like they're just throwing up arbitrary roadblocks. We've literally been using the same information for years with zero problems. I get that they need to prevent fraud but why not grandfather in people with established claim histories?

If you're struggling to get through to ESD about this (which you probably will), I recommend using Claimyr. It helped me actually reach a live person at ESD when I had the same identity verification issue last month. The service basically holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of frustration! Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video demo that explains how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 \n\nI was skeptical at first but after trying for 3 days to get through on my own, I gave in and was connected to an ESD agent within 2 hours. The agent was able to expedite my identity verification since I had already uploaded all the documents.

is that really worth it? sounds like another thing trying to make money off desperate people...

I felt the same way initially, but after spending literally hours redialing ESD and getting nowhere, it was worth it to me. They don't handle any of your personal ESD info - they just connect you with an actual agent.

Quick update on timeline expectations: I just spoke with someone who works at WorkSource (not ESD directly, but connected), and they mentioned that the current backlog for identity verification is about 8-10 business days. Apparently their new system flags accounts for various reasons including:\n\n- Multiple claims from the same household\n- Claims that have been open/closed multiple times\n- Seasonal workers (they sometimes get flagged because the pattern looks similar to fraud)\n- Anyone who's changed banking information in the past year\n- Random selection for audit purposes\n\nSo your husband probably got flagged for being a seasonal worker with multiple claim periods. It's frustrating but at least there's a reason behind it.

That makes perfect sense - he is definitely a seasonal construction worker with multiple claim periods. Thank you for this insight! Knowing it's 8-10 business days helps us plan financially at least. Really appreciate the information.

Make sure the photos of his documents are VERY clear and well-lit! My husband's identity verification got delayed because they said his driver's license photo wasn't clear enough to read the security features. We had to resubmit and then wait AGAIN. So frustrating.

Oh no, that's a good tip. I'll double-check what we uploaded. I think the images were pretty clear but now I'm second-guessing myself. Maybe we should reupload better ones just to be safe.

Just to follow up on my earlier comment - definitely keep filing those weekly claims while waiting for identity verification. The system will hold them in

Thank you for the additional tips. We're definitely keeping up with the weekly claims, and I'll start checking the dashboard daily. Didn't realize they might not notify us about additional document requests - that would be terrible to miss!

Has anyone here had their identity verification denied even after submitting documents? My cousin went through this whole process and somehow they still said they couldn't verify his identity. He had to appeal which is a whole other nightmare. I hope that doesn't happen to your husband!

This usually happens when there's a name mismatch (like if documents show a middle name that's not in the ESD system) or if the address on the ID doesn't match what's in their system. If anyone runs into this, request a formal identity verification review rather than going straight to appeal - it's much faster.

UPDATE: Just wanted to share some good news! My husband's identity was verified this morning - took exactly 9 business days. All his pending payments were released at once and should hit our account in 24-48 hours according to the portal. Thanks everyone for the advice and support! For anyone else going through this: definitely keep filing those weekly claims, check your dashboard daily, and make sure your document uploads are super clear. What a relief!

thats awesome! glad it worked out for you guys!!