ESD website suddenly requiring identity verification with NO notification - claim on hold

OMG same thing!!!! happened to me last month & i missed the deadline because i didnt know about it!!! had to call them like 50 times to get it fixed and missed 2 payments while waiting. esd is THE WORST about communication!!!

This is unfortunately standard ESD procedure now. They randomly select accounts for additional verification but their notification system is broken. I work with claimants regularly, and about 70% report never receiving alerts for important claim changes. My advice: log in to your ESD account EVERY Monday regardless of when you file your weekly claim, just to check for these surprise requirements. Also, complete the ID verification ASAP - it can take 7-10 business days to process even though they only give you 5 days to submit it.

went thru this EXACT thing in january!!! esd is completely incompetent and doesnt care about us at all. the whole systems designed to make us give up. seriously who doesnt send notifications for something this important?? id be looking for work instead of dealing with this garbage if there were any jobs that paid more than minimum wage in my field right now

I'm an unemployment advocate, and this is one of the most common issues we see. The ESD system is supposed to send automatic notifications through multiple channels, but there's been a technical glitch in their system since January 2025 that prevents these alerts from going out. Some tips to handle this situation: 1. Complete the verification immediately - the 5-day countdown is strict 2. If you miss the deadline, file an appeal within 30 days citing "lack of proper notification" 3. Enable text alerts in your ESD account settings (though even these are unreliable) 4. Check your spam folder daily 5. Log into your account at least twice weekly The verification process itself usually takes 3-14 days, during which your weekly claims will show as "pending." You'll still need to file your weekly claims during this time even though payments are on hold.

After weeks of trying to get through to ESD about a similar issue (they required employment verification with no notification), I finally gave up on their regular phone line and used Claimyr (claimyr.com). You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 - it basically gets you through the phone queue to talk to an actual agent. The ESD rep I spoke with actually acknowledged their notification system is broken! She manually pushed my verification through and I got paid the next day. Might be worth trying if you get stuck in the verification process.

Wait I'm confused... is this the ID.me verification or something different? Because I did the ID.me thing when I first applied back in February... are they making people do it AGAIN now?

UPDATE: I submitted all my documents yesterday and just got an email saying my verification was approved! That was faster than I expected. All my pending payments were released too. For anyone else dealing with this: I submitted my driver's license (front and back), social security card, and a recent utility bill. Make sure your photos are clear and all text is readable.