Filed claim 4 weeks ago - military spouse in Korea - can't reach ESD internationally

Unfortunately this delay is pretty common even without the international complication. ESD typically takes 3-4 weeks to process new claims, but yours might be flagged for additional review because of your location abroad and the 401k withdrawal (they sometimes misinterpret this as income). Since you're a military spouse, your claim should be valid under the Military Spouse Provision, but that often requires manual review. For international contact issues, try using a VoIP service with a US number to call them, or ask a trusted family member in the States to call on your behalf (you'll need to complete an authorization form first). Also, keep documenting all your contact attempts - this will be important if you need to file an appeal for backdated payments.

ESD NEVER RESPONDS TO MESSAGES!!! I sent 12 messages last year and got 1 response after 6 WEEKS! Their system is completely broken and they don't care about people struggling to pay bills. Military spouses get treated even worse because they assume you have support from the military. Your best bet is to contact your state representative or senator - they have special liasons who can cut through the ESD garbage. That's the ONLY thing that worked for me.

i had to wait 6 weeks for my first payment last year. keep filing claims every week even with no money coming in because when they finally approve it youll get all the back pay at once. the system is soooo slow but it does work eventually

Military spouse here - I went through something similar when we were stationed in Germany. The key is getting someone on the phone who understands the Military Spouse Provision. After trying for weeks, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual agent. They have a system that navigates ESD's phone tree and gets you in the callback queue. Saved me hours of redial frustration. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 The agent I reached was able to expedite my claim once I explained the international situation. They can override certain flags in their system that might be holding up your claim, but only if you actually reach someone who can help.

My neighbor had the same problem when she moved to Japan with her husband (navy). She said the key is to keep filing every week even with no money coming. When she finally got through after 2 months they paid everything at once. But she had to use her parent's address in Washington because technically you have to be available for work in WA state. Are you using a WA address on your claim? That might be causing problems if not.

Update: I managed to get through to ESD! I used a combination of a VPN, Google Voice, and had my claim escalated to a specialist who understood the military spouse rules. They said my claim was held up because the 401k withdrawal triggered an automated review, plus they needed verification of my military spouse status. The agent cleared both issues and said I should see all backpay within 48 hours. THANK YOU everyone for your help!! For others in my situation - definitely keep filing weekly claims even with no payment. And definitely be persistent about reaching someone who understands military spouse provisions.