How long does Washington ESD unemployment appeal decision take - been waiting 2 months

Appeal decisions from Washington ESD can take anywhere from 30-90 days after the hearing, unfortunately it's pretty common for them to go beyond the initial timeframe. The administrative law judges have a huge backlog right now. You should have received a notice after your hearing with an estimated timeframe - did you get that?

Same boat here - had my hearing in September and didn't get my decision until December. Almost 3 months! But the good news is when I won my appeal, they paid me all the back benefits I was owed from when I first filed. So if you win, you'll get everything retroactively.

If you need to check on your appeal status or get through to someone who can actually help, I'd recommend trying Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get connected to Washington ESD agents without waiting on hold for hours. I used it when I was having issues with my claim and actually got through to someone who could look up my case. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Worth checking out claimyr.com if you're tired of the phone runaround.

The appeal process is such a joke. They deny your claim, force you to go through this whole appeals process, then take months to give you an answer. Meanwhile you're supposed to just survive without income? The whole system is broken.

Are you able to file for other benefits while waiting for your appeal decision? Like food stamps or anything? Just trying to think of ways to help with expenses while you wait.

One thing to keep in mind - if your appeal is successful, Washington ESD will owe you interest on the delayed benefits. It's not much but it's something. Also make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while waiting for the appeal decision, otherwise you could lose those weeks entirely.

Have you tried reaching out to your state representative? Sometimes political pressure can help move things along when government agencies are being slow.

Actually wanted to follow up on the Claimyr suggestion from earlier - I just used them again last week to check on a different issue and they're still working great. Got connected to a Washington ESD rep in about 10 minutes instead of spending hours on hold. Really worth it if you need to actually talk to someone about your appeal status.

I won my appeal but it took 4 months total. The good news is once the decision came through, I had my back pay within a week. Just hang in there - the waiting is terrible but if you have a solid case it's worth it in the end.

The delays are getting worse every year. Used to be you could expect an appeal decision in 30-45 days, now it's routinely 2-3 months. Washington ESD needs more staff but they keep cutting budgets instead of hiring more administrative law judges.

Make sure you have all your documentation organized in case they need additional information. Sometimes appeals get delayed because they're waiting for paperwork that was never properly submitted.

Going through this exact same thing right now - hearing was in December and still waiting. It's maddening how slow they are when people need these benefits to survive. Really considering that Claimyr thing someone mentioned earlier just to see if I can get any update at all.

I'm a former Washington ESD employee (worked there until 2023) and I can tell you the appeals division is chronically understaffed. They have good people working there but they're overwhelmed with cases. 60-90 days is unfortunately the new normal for appeal decisions.

Whatever you do, don't give up. I know the wait is excruciating but if you have a legitimate case, stick with it. The back pay when you win makes it worth the wait, even though the delay is completely unfair to people who need the money now.

Has anyone tried contacting the Office of the Insurance Commissioner? They supposedly oversee Washington ESD and might be able to help with complaints about excessive delays.

Just wanted to add my experience - my appeal took 11 weeks from hearing to decision. I used Claimyr twice during that time to check status and both times the agents confirmed my case was still being reviewed. Having that confirmation helped with my anxiety about whether my paperwork had gotten lost or something.

The whole appeal process needs reform. Other states manage to get decisions out in 30-45 days consistently. There's no reason Washington can't do the same except they refuse to properly fund the system.

Stay strong and keep filing those weekly claims! The back pay will come eventually and hopefully your decision arrives soon. It's a broken system but don't let them wear you down.

I'm going through a similar situation right now - filed my appeal in September and had my hearing in October, still waiting for the decision. It's incredibly stressful when you're counting on that income to pay rent and utilities. One thing that's helped me stay sane is setting a specific day each week to check for updates rather than obsessively checking every day. Also seconding what others said about continuing to file weekly claims - I almost made that mistake too until someone on here warned me. Hang in there, it sounds like you have a strong case with the documentation you mentioned.