How do I contact Washington ESD unemployment - phone lines always busy

It's so frustrating! I feel like they just don't want to talk to us at all.

The phone system is completely overwhelmed. I heard they only have like 50 agents for the whole state which is ridiculous.

I tried that yesterday and still got a busy signal immediately at 8:00 AM sharp!

Yeah it's gotten worse lately. You might need to try for several days in a row unfortunately.

Wait is this legit? How much does it cost? Sounds too good to be true tbh

I thought the same thing but desperate times ya know? It's way cheaper than taking time off work to sit on hold all day. The main thing is it actually connects you to real Washington ESD agents, not some third party.

I've heard of this but never tried it. Did they ask for your social security number or anything sketchy?

Nah they don't need your SSN or any sensitive info. Just basic contact details so they can patch you through when they reach an agent.

I hear you on the frustration but they are dealing with massive call volume. The pandemic really overwhelmed their systems and they're still catching up.

That was like 3 years ago though! How long does it take to hire more phone agents?

I checked the online portal but my specific question about standby status isn't covered there. Plus when I sent a message 2 weeks ago I never got a response.

Yeah the message response time is terrible. For standby status questions you definitely need to talk to someone directly since those rules can be tricky.

Good idea, I'll try that today. Thanks!

Interesting theory but in my experience the lines stay jammed until at least 10 AM. Worth a shot though.

I'll try different times tomorrow and see what happens.

I'm on standby status through my union but I'm not sure if I still need to do the 3 job search activities per week or if that's waived. The online info is confusing.

Ah standby is different - you typically don't need to do job search activities while on union standby as long as your return date is within 4 weeks. But you should definitely confirm this with Washington ESD since the rules can vary.

That's correct for most union standby situations. The key is making sure your union filed the proper paperwork with Washington ESD about your expected return date.

Let me know how it goes! It took about 2 hours for them to get through when I used it but that's way better than the 6+ hours I was wasting trying myself.

Will do. Anything beats this endless calling routine.

They stopped doing walk-ins during COVID and never brought them back. Everything has to be done by phone or online now unfortunately.

Ugh of course they did. Thanks for letting me know before I made the drive.

I've heard this rumor too but never tried it. Seems kind of wrong to clog up that line when you don't actually need Spanish services.

At this point I'm desperate enough to try anything. The regular system clearly doesn't work.

Same here. I'm starting to think they just don't answer the phones at all.

That's actually a good point about timing. I'll try that today.

Yeah it's counterintuitive but worked for me. Good luck!

Thanks for the update! I tried it yesterday and they're calling for me now. Way less stressful than doing it myself.

How does the callback work exactly? Do they call you when they get through to Washington ESD?

Yeah exactly. They keep calling Washington ESD and when they finally get through to an agent, they call you and connect you directly to the agent. You never have to sit on hold yourself.

OMG that's my worst nightmare! I'd be so angry.

That happened to my friend too. The system is just completely overloaded and unstable.

Good idea. This is a systemic problem that needs political pressure to fix.

I contacted my state senator's office and they did help me get through to Washington ESD faster. Worth a try if you're really stuck.

Exactly! I just want to know what's happening with my case.

Check your online account every few days. Sometimes status changes show up there before anyone calls you.

Wait really? What's the WorkSourceWA number? I'll try that right now.

It's 1-877-872-5627. Tell them you need help with your unemployment claim and they should be able to transfer you. No guarantee but worth a shot.

Clever workaround! I'm going to remember that one.

Awesome! I think I'm going to try it too at this point.

Same here, the regular calling just isn't working for anyone.

Glad it worked out! That's exactly the kind of question that's impossible to answer without talking to an actual person.

Great news! Hope your union calls you back soon.