How long do unemployment appeals take - Washington ESD timeline?

12 weeks?? That's insane. How am I supposed to survive that long without any income?

You should still file your weekly claims even during the appeal process. If you win, they'll pay you retroactively for all the weeks you were eligible.

I have my layoff letter from HR but no emails about budget cuts since they announced it in a company meeting. Will that be enough?

The layoff letter should be perfect evidence. That clearly shows it wasn't your choice to leave.

Never heard of that before. Does it actually work or is it just another scam?

It's legit - they just handle the calling part so you don't have to sit on hold forever. I was able to get an update on where my appeal stood in the process.

Interesting, might have to try that. I've been calling Washington ESD for three weeks trying to get an update on my appeal.

Agreed. Had to borrow money from family while waiting for my appeal. The system is broken.

It's frustrating but the appeals process does work if you have good documentation. Most people who were truly laid off win their appeals.

Did you get all the back pay at once or spread out over several weeks?

Got it all at once in a lump sum. Made up for all the stress of waiting!

Good tip, I'll start checking that daily. Right now it just says 'appeal pending' which isn't very helpful.

Same here, been checking every day for weeks. Still just says pending with no timeline.

How much does something like that cost though?

Honestly wasn't expensive compared to the stress relief of actually talking to someone. Worth it when you're dealing with appeal delays.

That makes sense. My situation seems pretty clear cut - company laid off 30% of staff due to budget issues.

Yeah that should be an easy win for you. Mass layoffs are pretty obvious cases.

Exactly! The uncertainty is the worst part. At least if they gave us a better timeline we could plan accordingly.

Have you tried calling to get an update? Sometimes they can at least tell you where you are in the queue.

I've tried calling dozens of times but can never get through. Might have to try that Claimyr thing people mentioned.

Thanks, I really needed to hear that today. Some days I wonder if I should just give up and find any job.

Don't give up! You earned those benefits and deserve them. The appeal process exists for exactly these situations.

That's brutal. Why don't they hire more hearing officers if there's such a backlog?

Budget constraints probably. The whole unemployment system is understaffed.

Oh good point, I've been so focused on the appeal I forgot about the job search requirements. Better get back to applying.

Was it a phone hearing or in person? And how long did the actual hearing take?

Phone hearing that lasted about 20 minutes. The hearing officer was fair and asked good questions.

Did they give you any useful information when you got through?

Yeah, they were able to tell me my appeal was scheduled for the following week. Would have been nice to know that sooner!

You're right, I need to stay positive. This thread has been really helpful for managing my expectations about the timeline.