How is unemployment benefits process working in Washington ESD right now?

Filed my initial claim about 6 weeks ago and it's been a rollercoaster honestly. The application itself was pretty straightforward on the SecureAccess Washington portal, took maybe 45 minutes to complete everything. But then my claim got stuck in adjudication for almost 3 weeks with no explanation.

The weekly claims are actually processing pretty fast now, usually within 2-3 business days. The real bottleneck is if your initial claim needs any kind of review or verification. Washington ESD seems overwhelmed with the verification process still.

I had a nightmare experience trying to reach anyone at Washington ESD when my claim got denied for 'failure to meet work search requirements' even though I had been logging all my job searches properly. Spent literal hours on hold just to get disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr that actually got me through to a real person at Washington ESD within a day. They have this system that calls repeatedly until someone picks up - saved me so much stress. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ if you want to see how it works.

the system is totally broken right now tbh. my friend applied in november and still hasnt gotten a single payment. washington esd is a joke

I'm currently on standby status which has been smooth - getting paid weekly without having to do job searches since I have a return-to-work date with my employer. But I know regular UI claims are much more complicated with all the work search requirements.

Been on unemployment for about 4 months now and overall it's been manageable once you get past the initial hurdles. The key things I've learned: always file your weekly claims on time (even if your initial claim is still pending), keep detailed records of everything, and don't expect to talk to anyone at Washington ESD unless you absolutely have to. Most issues can be resolved through the online portal if you're patient.

One thing to watch out for - make sure your employer doesn't contest your claim. Mine tried to claim I was fired for misconduct when I was actually laid off, and that triggered an entire adjudication process that took 6 weeks to resolve. Had to provide written statements and everything.

The online system actually works pretty well once you figure out how to navigate it. My biggest complaint is that error messages are super vague - like it'll just say 'processing error' without explaining what's actually wrong. But the SecureAccess Washington login has been reliable for me.

Just a heads up that if you're filing now, the benefit amount is based on wages from your highest quarter in the last 18 months. So if you had a really good quarter recently, your weekly benefit amount might be higher than you expect. Mine came out to about 60% of my average weekly wage.

I'd recommend filing sooner rather than later if you're eligible. There's usually a one-week waiting period before you can receive benefits, and the longer you wait to file, the more potential money you're leaving on the table. You can't get retroactive benefits for weeks before you filed.

The work search requirement is 3 activities per week, but they're pretty flexible about what counts. Networking events, career fairs, online applications, even updating your LinkedIn profile can qualify. Just keep good records in your work search log.

Had my initial phone interview last week and it went smoothly. The interviewer was actually pretty nice and just wanted to verify the details from my application. Whole thing took maybe 15 minutes. Don't stress too much about it if you get scheduled for one.

Another tip - if you do need to call Washington ESD for any reason, try calling right when they open at 8am or during lunch time around noon. Those seem to be the best times to actually get through to someone. But honestly, that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier might be worth it if you're dealing with a complicated issue.

Overall I'd say the system works, but you need to be proactive and stay on top of everything. Don't wait for Washington ESD to contact you about issues - check your account regularly and address problems quickly. The people who have the worst experiences are usually the ones who file and then ignore it for weeks.