Fired for 'performance' - claim stuck on 'Waiting for information' since 11/27 - when to escalate?

With termination for performance, they're probably conducting an investigation to determine if you qualify. This often requires contacting your employer for their side of the story. The 'Waiting for information' status typically means they're waiting on your former employer to respond. In my experience, this can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks depending on how quickly your employer responds.\n\nYou might want to call ESD to check if there's anything specific they're waiting for from YOU rather than your employer. Sometimes they need additional documentation that wasn't clearly communicated.

Thanks! I'm so worried they'll just take my employer's word for it. I wasn't given any documented warnings before being fired - can that help my case? I'll try calling tomorrow but the phone system is so frustrating.

same thing happend to me last month!! took like FIVE WEEKS before anyone contacted me and then they wanted to do a phone interview. the waiting is the worst part but hang in there

Five weeks?? Omg I can't wait that long. Did you get approved after your phone interview?

Here's what's happening: When you're terminated for performance reasons, ESD has to determine if it was misconduct (which would disqualify you) or just not meeting expectations (which would qualify you). This adjudication process involves getting statements from both sides. \n\nThe 'Waiting for information' status since 11/27 likely means your employer hasn't responded yet. They have a deadline to provide information, and if they don't respond, ESD will eventually make a determination based on available information.\n\nYou're still within normal processing timeframes - adjudication typically takes 3-6 weeks in Washington state. However, I would recommend calling after the 4-week mark from your initial filing date (so around December 19) if you haven't heard anything.

That's really helpful! I didn't realize there was a difference between performance issues and misconduct. My letter just says I

I just went through this exact situation! Got fired in October for \

does that claimyr thing actually work? i keep getting hung up on by esd and its driving me nuts

Yeah it worked for me! I was skeptical too but was desperate after trying to call for 3 days straight. Got through to an actual person who could see exactly what was happening with my claim.

I'm going to try calling myself tomorrow, but if I can't get through I might try this. I'm getting really anxious about the bills piling up.

DONT WAIT!! These ESD people willl let ur claim SIT THERE FOR MONTHS if u don't bug them!! My brothers claim sat for 9 WEEKS before he finally got someone on the phone who fixed it in literally 5 minutes!!! The system is BROKEN and the only way to get anywhere is to CALL CALL CALL until u get a human!!!

9 weeks?? That's insane! Did he get backpay for all that time? I'm really worried about my rent coming up.

Ya he got backpay but had to borrow $ from family to survive while waiting. its RIDICULOUS how they treat ppl!!

Just adding another data point - I was fired for

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's frustrating not knowing what's happening behind the scenes. Did you have to do a phone interview?

Nope, never did a phone interview. Just got an approval notice in my ESD inbox one day. I think phone interviews are more common when there's conflicting information between you and your employer.

One important tip I forgot to mention - make absolutely sure you're completing your weekly claims properly while waiting for the determination. Some people make the mistake of not filing during the adjudication period, but you should continue filing every week. This ensures you'll get backpay for all eligible weeks once approved.\n\nAlso, don't forget the job search requirements - you need to document at least 3 job search activities each week unless you've been specifically told otherwise. Those requirements still apply during adjudication.

Yes, I've been filing weekly and documenting my job searches! I actually have an interview tomorrow (fingers crossed). I'm saving screenshots of all my job applications just to be safe. Thanks for the reminder though!

Based on your timeline, I'd suggest waiting until December 19th (4 weeks from filing) before escalating. However, there are two productive steps you can take now:\n\n1. Check if you have access to your former employer's response in your ESD account. Sometimes the system shows what information they've provided.\n\n2. Prepare documentation proving you never received formal warnings or performance improvement plans. This will be valuable if there's a discrepancy between your account and your employer's.\n\nIf you haven't heard anything by December 19th, that's when I'd recommend calling to request an update and possibly escalation. When you call, specifically ask if they're still waiting for employer information or if something else is causing the delay.

This is really helpful advice. I'll check my ESD account more thoroughly to see if I can find my employer's response. I don't think they've submitted anything yet or the status would have changed, right? \n\nI've already gathered my emails showing positive feedback from my boss just two weeks before firing me, so hopefully that helps my case.