Filed subsequent ESD claim after exhausting benefits - still 6 week wait? Plus missing notification letter

The subsequent claim shouldn't take as long as your initial one, but ESD is unpredictable these days. My subsequent claim took about 3 weeks in 2025, which was faster than my initial 8-week wait. But I've heard others saying theirs still took 5-6 weeks. As for the phantom notification - YES! This happened to me twice last month. Got the email about a new letter but nothing showed up in my account. Then 3 days later the actual letter appeared. I think their notification system runs ahead of the actual document upload process.

According to ESD guidelines, subsequent claims CAN take up to 6 weeks, but they're supposed to be processed faster than initial claims since they already have most of your information. The real problem is their current backlog situation. That missing letter notification is actually a known issue with their system right now. What usually happens is you'll get the email notification 1-4 days before the actual letter appears in your account. If nothing shows up after 4 days, you should call ESD to make sure nothing important is pending. Make sure you continue filing your weekly claims even while waiting for the subsequent claim to process! If you miss weeks, you won't get retroactive payments.

my subsequent claim only took 2 weeks last month. but i didnt have any adjudication or identity verification issues. maybe thats why it went faster?

I went through this exact situation in January. Filed my subsequent claim after benefits exhausted, got the same phantom notification about a week later, and was stuck wondering what was going on. The subsequent claim took exactly 4 weeks to process for me. During that time, I needed to speak with an ESD agent about the missing letter and struggled for days with busy signals and disconnects. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through - they have this system that holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. Saved me hours of redial hell. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 Turns out the "missing" letter was actually a request for additional wage information they needed for my subsequent claim calculation. Getting that resolved quickly probably prevented additional delays. Make sure you're checking your spam folder too, as sometimes they send important notices there instead of just relying on the portal.

This whole notification system is a JOKE. I've been dealing with ESD for 9 months now and their technology is stuck in 2010. Half the time notifications don't match what's actually in your account, letters disappear then reappear days later, and sometimes they send physical mail without ANY online notification! As for subsequent claims - mine took EXACTLY 6 weeks and 2 days earlier this year. No issues, no special circumstances, just typical ESD slowness. Their official line about "faster processing" for subsequent claims is complete BS. They're overwhelmed and understaffed, plain and simple.

@OP To answer your original question - yes, technically the 6 week processing window still applies to subsequent claims, but in practice it varies widely. The determining factors seem to be: 1. Whether your previous claim had any complications (adjudication, appeals, etc) 2. Whether your work/wage history has changed significantly 3. Current ESD processing volumes (which fluctuate throughout the year) 4. Whether there are any new identity verification requirements If your previous claim was straightforward once approved, and you haven't had significant changes in your situation, you might be on the shorter end of the processing timeline. Regarding the notification issue - I recommend logging in every 24-48 hours to check for updates. The system has been inconsistent with notifications throughout 2025. Some people get notifications with no letters, others get letters with no notifications. If it's been more than 5 days since the notification email, I'd try contacting ESD to confirm nothing important is missing.

when i had this happen last year i waited 9 weeks for my subsequent claim!!! but i think it was because there was an employer dispute thing happening. i also got those phantom notifications a bunch of times! i think its just their system being buggy

UPDATE: After trying for 3 days to call ESD with no luck (constant busy signals), I tried the Claimyr service that someone recommended above. Got connected to an ESD agent in about 40 minutes! Turns out my "phantom notification" was for a letter requesting additional information about my last employer. The letter never showed up in my account for some reason, but the agent was able to see it in their system. Getting this resolved now rather than waiting will hopefully prevent delays with my claim processing. Thanks everyone for your help and sharing your experiences! I'll post another update when my subsequent claim is processed to let you know how long it took.

just want to add my partner got 3 phantom notifications in february and they never showed up online but then got disqualified for not responding to them! had to file an appeal saying they never saw the letters. total mess