Governor's office escalation request for ESD claim - anyone had success?
Feeling desperate after 8 weeks of my ESD claim sitting in adjudication with zero movement. I finally called the governor's office yesterday (never thought I'd have to go this far!). The woman I spoke with was actually really helpful and submitted an 'escalation request' to ESD on my behalf. She told me to watch both for a phone call AND my eServices account since apparently ESD might just update my claim status online without bothering to call me. Has anyone else tried the governor's office route? Did it actually work? How long did it take after the escalation? I'm down to my last $250 and getting really anxious about bills coming due next week. Just wondering if I should get my hopes up or if this is just another dead end.
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Ellie Simpson
I did the exact same thing last November when my claim was stuck for 6+ weeks. The governor's office escalation actually worked for me! About 4 days after I called, my claim status changed from 'adjudication in progress' to 'paid' without anyone calling me. I just happened to check my account and saw the update. Then the money hit my account the next day. I think they're seriously backlogged right now though, so it might take a bit longer for you. Definitely keep checking your account daily.
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AaliyahAli
•4 days?! That would be amazing if it happened that fast for me too. Thanks for giving me some hope. Did you get backpay for all the weeks you were waiting?
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Arjun Kurti
I called govs office 2 week ago still NOTHING!!! My landlord is freaking out and ESD just doesnt care about real ppl with real problems!!
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Raúl Mora
•Same, been waiting 3 months now even after governor escalation. This system is completely broken. They want us to give up and stop claiming.
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Margot Quinn
When I was having problems with my claim last year, I contacted my state representative instead of the governor's office. Their constituent services person called ESD directly and got my issue resolved within a week. Might be worth trying if the governor's office route doesn't pan out quickly enough for you.
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AaliyahAli
•That's a great idea I hadn't thought of! Do you just call their regular office number? Did you have to provide a bunch of documentation to them?
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Evelyn Kim
The governor's office escalation can definitely help, but the timeline varies widely depending on your specific issue. Adjudication can be complex - they might be waiting on verification from your former employer or need additional documentation from you. While you're waiting, make sure you're still filing your weekly claims without interruption, even if you're not getting paid yet. If you miss weeks, it can create even more complications. Also double-check your eServices dashboard for any alerts or messages requesting information - sometimes these get lost in the shuffle and delay your claim further. If it's been more than 5 business days since the governor's office escalation and you haven't seen any movement, you might want to try Claimyr (claimyr.com). They can get you connected with an actual ESD agent on the phone, which is nearly impossible otherwise. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. I was skeptical at first, but after weeks of trying to get through on my own, I used their service and was talking to an agent within 25 minutes who resolved my adjudication issue that same day.
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AaliyahAli
•Thanks for the detailed advice. I am definitely keeping up with my weekly claims! I'll check out that service if I don't see movement in the next few days. At this point I'd try anything to get this resolved.
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Diego Fisher
just wanted to say that I got the run around for 2 months with my claim in adjucation then finally it just changed to paid one day without any warning or phonecall. hang in there!
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Henrietta Beasley
•This is actually pretty common - ESD is terrible about communication. They should at least send an email when they make a decision on your claim, but they often don't. The system is overwhelmed and understaffed, especially with all the identity theft issues they've been dealing with lately. Their processes haven't caught up with the volume of claims they're handling.
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Arjun Kurti
why is it always WAIT WAIT WAIT with ESD????? but they expect us to upload our documents in 48 hours or were disqualified????
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Diego Fisher
•ikr! drives me crazy too. their whole system is unfair
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Ellie Simpson
One thing to watch for - if they do call you after the governor's office escalation, it will likely come from a blocked or private number. Make sure you're answering all calls right now, even unknown ones. I missed their first call and it delayed things by another week.
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AaliyahAli
•That's really good to know, thank you! I normally ignore unknown numbers but I'll definitely answer everything for the next few weeks.
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Henrietta Beasley
I work with unemployment cases (not for ESD), and I can tell you the governor's office escalation does help, but there's another factor that affects timing: the specific issue your claim is stuck on. Some adjudication issues are quicker to resolve than others. If it's a simple employer verification, that might be resolved quickly after escalation. If it's something more complex like availability for work, voluntary quit determination, or earnings verification across multiple quarters, those take longer even with escalation. Did they give you any indication what the adjudication issue is about?
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AaliyahAli
•They never told me specifically what the holdup is! My employer laid me off due to budget cuts, and I have the termination letter stating that. I uploaded it with my initial claim. I've never had any issues with unemployment before, so I'm completely confused about why I'm stuck in adjudication.
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