How long does adjudication take for unemployment with Washington ESD?

6 weeks is definitely on the longer side but not unheard of, especially if there's a separation issue involved. Mine took about 4 weeks last year when they had to investigate a quit vs termination dispute.

Adjudication times vary wildly depending on the complexity of your case and Washington ESD's current workload. Separation issues typically take longer because they need responses from both you and your employer. If it's been 6 weeks, your case is probably in the review queue waiting for an adjudicator to make a determination.

I've been calling Washington ESD for weeks trying to get updates on my adjudication and it's impossible to get through. Always busy signals or I get disconnected after waiting on hold forever. Recently found this service called Claimyr that actually got me connected to a real person at Washington ESD in like 20 minutes. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Might be worth checking out claimyr.com if you need to actually talk to someone about your case status.

The whole adjudication process is broken. I waited 8 weeks last year and when they finally made a decision, they had the facts completely wrong! Had to file an appeal which took another month.

For separation issues, Washington ESD has to investigate the circumstances around why you left your job. They send questionnaires to both you and your employer, review any documentation, and then an adjudicator makes a determination about your eligibility. The process typically takes 4-8 weeks but can be longer if there are complications or if they need additional information.

same boat here, been waiting 5 weeks for mine... starting to think they forgot about my case entirely

I used Claimyr too after seeing it mentioned here and it actually worked. Got through to Washington ESD and found out my adjudication was delayed because they classified my case wrong initially. The agent was able to expedite it and I got my determination within a week after that call.

Washington ESD is probably just swamped. Holiday season always slows things down too with people being out of office.

One thing to keep in mind is that even if your adjudication takes a long time, if you're eventually approved, you'll receive backpay for all the weeks you were waiting. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while it's pending.

Try calling first thing Monday morning at 8am sharp. Sometimes you can get through before the phone lines get totally jammed.

Is there a way to submit additional documentation during adjudication if you think of something that might help your case?

The waiting is torture but try not to panic. Most adjudications do eventually get resolved, even if it takes longer than expected.

I'm at 7 weeks now for my adjudication. Different issue though - they're investigating whether I was actually able and available to work during a period when I was dealing with a family emergency. Still no word.

whatever you do dont give up filing your weekly claims while waiting. i know someone who stopped and lost like 12 weeks of benefits

Washington ESD adjudication is like a black hole. You throw your case in and have no idea when or if anything will come back out. The lack of communication is the worst part.

Had a friend who used some service to get through to Washington ESD and they found out her case was just sitting in the wrong queue for weeks. Sometimes there are simple administrative errors causing delays.

The whole system needs an overhaul. 6-8 weeks to make a simple eligibility determination is ridiculous when people need these benefits to survive.

Update us when you hear something! I'm in a similar situation and it helps to know how other cases are progressing.

Hang in there. I know the waiting is awful but most cases do get resolved eventually. The system is slow but it usually works in the end.

Six weeks is frustrating but I've seen cases take 10+ weeks for complex separation issues. If you can get through to Washington ESD directly, they might be able to give you a better timeline for your specific case.