How long does a determination take for unemployment at Washington ESD?

It's related to my job separation - my employer contested my claim saying I quit but I was actually laid off due to lack of work.

Oh that type of determination can definitely take 3-4 weeks or even longer if they need to interview both you and your employer.

SIX WEEKS?? That's insane, people need money to live!

I agree it's frustrating but they have to follow due process. The good news is if you're approved, you'll get backpay for all the weeks you were waiting.

Did they charge you for that? I'm already stressed about money and don't want to pay for something that should be free.

They do charge but it was worth it for me to get answers instead of calling 50 times a day and never getting through. Plus I found out my determination was actually ready but there was a glitch preventing the letter from being sent.

Interesting, never heard of that service before. Might be worth trying if you're really stuck.

Yes I've been keeping up with my weekly claims. Good to know I'm not the only one going crazy checking my account constantly.

The weekly claims are super important because if you miss filing them you could lose those weeks even if your determination is favorable.

It's about my job separation. My former employer is claiming I voluntarily quit but I was actually laid off.

Those separation determinations typically take 3-5 weeks because Washington ESD has to contact your employer and give them time to respond with their side of the story.

Make sure you have any documentation about your layoff ready - emails, notices, anything that proves it wasn't voluntary.

How did you manage to get through? I've called dozens of times and either get a busy signal or get disconnected after waiting on hold.

used that claimyr thing someone mentioned above. worked way better than trying to call myself

I understand the frustration but there are legal requirements for due process. They can't just approve or deny claims without proper investigation.

Due process is fine but 6-8 weeks is ridiculous when people have bills to pay NOW

I feel you on this. Lost my apartment deposit waiting for my determination to come through.

I check probably 3 times a day but it still just says 'determination pending' with no other details.

That's normal. The online system doesn't show much detail about determinations in progress.

Yes I'm keeping up with those. It feels weird filing when I'm not getting anything but I know it's important.

Exactly. Once your determination comes through (hopefully favorable) you'll get backpay for all those weeks.

That makes sense. My case probably isn't simple since there's a dispute about whether I quit or was laid off.

Those employer dispute cases definitely take longer because they have to interview both parties and review all the evidence.

Oh no! How did you find out? Did you have to appeal or anything?

Luckily the determination was in my favor so no appeal needed. But I missed out on 2 weeks of payments because of the address mix-up.

This is exactly why I recommend using claimyr when you can't get through normally. Stuff like this happens and you need to talk to a real person to sort it out.

Thanks for the encouragement. Some days I worry they're just going to deny me and I'll have to start all over with an appeal.

try not to stress too much about that unless you have reason to think they'll deny you. most determinations are approved

This is true. The online system could definitely be more transparent about where cases stand in the process.

yeah this is why talking to an actual person helps so much. they can see way more detail than what shows up online

That's helpful to know a specific timeframe. Was your case complicated or pretty straightforward?

Pretty straightforward layoff due to company downsizing. No dispute from my employer or anything like that.

Good point, I should double-check that. I did move about 6 months ago.

Definitely update it if needed. You don't want to miss your determination letter because of an address issue.

Which states are you thinking of? I'm curious about how other unemployment systems handle this.

I know some states have automated certain types of determinations that used to require manual review. Washington seems pretty old-school in their approach.

I've heard of people doing this for really extreme delays but usually they'll tell you to wait the normal timeframe first.

Interesting idea but I think I'll wait a bit longer before going that route. Don't want to be dramatic if 2-3 weeks is normal.

Good advice. I'll make sure to read it carefully and ask questions if I don't understand something.

The determination letters can be pretty confusing with all the legal language. Don't hesitate to call for clarification if needed.

Thank you! This thread has been really helpful in managing my expectations and knowing I'm not alone in this process.

Glad this discussion helped. If you do need to talk to someone at Washington ESD for an update, that claimyr service I mentioned earlier really does work well for getting through the phone lines.

That's smart advice. I'll start keeping better records of everything.

Yes, documentation is key. Even if everything goes smoothly, it's good to have records for your own peace of mind.