Governor's office claim expedite taking 6+ weeks - when will ESD actually respond?
I'm so frustrated and worried. My unemployment claim has been stuck for 6 weeks now. I contacted the governor's office for help expediting due to serious hardship and health issues (provided all the documentation they asked for). The governor's staff were incredibly nice and responsive - they got back to me quickly and told me to watch my SAW account for changes. But it's been radio silence from ESD since then! Has anyone else gone the governor's office route? How long did it take for ESD to actually DO something after the governor's office contacted them? I'm running out of options and desperately need these benefits.
17 comments


Mohammed Khan
I went through the governor's office back in February. In my case, ESD contacted me within 5 business days after the governor's office confirmed they sent over my info. Have you tried calling ESD directly to check if they received the expedite request? Sometimes the communication between offices gets delayed. Don't lose hope - the governor's office route usually works, but you might need to follow up again with them if it's been 6 weeks with zero movement. Let them know ESD hasn't responded.
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Ella Russell
•Thanks for responding. I've tried calling ESD directly at least 15 times but can never get through - either busy signals or disconnected after waiting on hold. I'll email the governor's office again to let them know there's been no movement. It's just so stressful because my rent is due again and I have medical appointments I can't afford to miss.
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Gavin King
my friend had to do this last month took like 3 weeks b4 anything happend. did u check ur eservices messages? sometimes they send stuff there but dont email u about it
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Ella Russell
•I check eServices obsessively, literally multiple times a day. Nothing new there either. 3 weeks sounds amazing compared to my 6+ weeks of waiting! Did your friend have to do anything else to nudge things along?
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Nathan Kim
The timeline for governor's office intervention really varies depending on your specific claim issues and current ESD workload. In my experience helping claimants (I used to work in workforce development), here's what might be happening: 1. Your case was likely assigned to a specific adjudicator after the governor's office contacted ESD 2. That adjudicator may be working through a backlog of cases 3. If your issue involves employer verification or multiple issues, it takes longer I recommend: - Contact the governor's office again specifically asking for a status update - Request they ask ESD for an estimated timeframe for resolution - Make sure they've documented your hardship situation properly If you have actual medical documentation, ensure that was properly submitted as that can trigger priority handling for legitimate hardship cases.
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Ella Russell
•Thank you so much for this detailed response. I did submit medical documentation showing my ongoing treatment needs and financial hardship paperwork. I'll definitely contact the governor's office again tomorrow and specifically ask for the status update and timeframe as you suggested. It's just so hard to plan anything when you don't know if or when help is coming.
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Eleanor Foster
This is RIDICULOUS!!! 6 WEEKS after going through the governor's office?! The system is completely broken. I had to go the governor route last year and it still took 4 weeks after they supposedly "expedited" my claim. ESD is a disaster and nobody is fixing it! They're probably ignoring your case just like they ignored mine until I literally showed up at a WorkSource office and refused to leave until someone helped me. The governor's office intervention is just a feel-good measure that doesn't actually force ESD to do their job in any reasonable timeframe!
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Ella Russell
•I'm so sorry you went through that frustration too. I've thought about going to a WorkSource office in person, but I'm worried about wasting gas money (which I barely have) if they just tell me they can't help with unemployment issues. Did showing up in person actually work for you?
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Lucas Turner
have u tried calling at exactly 8am when they open? thats how i finally got thru last month
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Ella Russell
•Yes, I've tried right at 8am several times. Either busy signal or I get in the queue and then get disconnected after 45+ minutes of waiting. It's maddening!
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Kai Rivera
I work with unemployment claims regularly and can tell you that the governor's office expedite process usually takes 2-3 weeks max to see some movement in your claim. At 6+ weeks, something has likely fallen through the cracks. Here's what I recommend: 1. Try using Claimyr.com to reach an ESD agent directly. They can get you connected to ESD without the endless busy signals. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. It's been a lifesaver for many of my clients who couldn't get through on their own. 2. When you speak with ESD, specifically mention you have an expedite request through the governor's office from 6 weeks ago and ask them to look up the status of that specific request. 3. Ask for a direct callback from the adjudicator assigned to your case. The health issues documentation should have triggered priority handling. Something is definitely off with the timeline you're experiencing.
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Ella Russell
•Thank you so much for these detailed steps. I've never heard of Claimyr before but I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point. I'll check out that video and give it a shot. It would be such a relief to actually talk to a real person at ESD after all this time! I really appreciate the specific tips on what to say when I finally reach someone.
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Anna Stewart
wait im confused... did the governors office actually confirm they sent your info to ESD? Sometimes they take your info but theres a delay before they actually send the request.
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Ella Russell
•Yes, they sent me an email confirming they forwarded my case to ESD for expedited review. That was about 6 weeks ago now. They were actually really responsive and nice on the governor's office side - it's ESD that seems to be the black hole.
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Mohammed Khan
Just checking back - any updates on your situation? Did you try contacting the governor's office again or have any luck getting through to ESD?
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Ella Russell
•I tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned above and FINALLY got through to a real person at ESD yesterday! Turns out my expedite request was received but got assigned to an adjudicator who went on medical leave, and my case wasn't properly reassigned. They've now put a priority flag on it and said I should see movement within 3-5 business days. I also emailed the governor's office to update them. Fingers crossed something actually happens this time!
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Amina Sow
•That's such great news! I'm so glad the Claimyr service worked for you and that you finally got some answers. It's crazy that your case was just sitting there because of the adjudicator situation - no wonder nothing was happening for 6+ weeks. Hopefully they actually follow through on the 3-5 business day timeline. Keep us posted on what happens! This gives me hope that there are still ways to get through the system when it breaks down like this.
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