How long does an appeal decision take for unemployment benefits in Washington ESD?

They said I quit voluntarily but I was actually laid off due to restructuring. I have all the documentation to prove it.

That should be pretty straightforward to overturn with proper documentation. Those usually resolve faster than misconduct cases.

Did you have to do a phone hearing or was it just based on documents?

I had a phone hearing with an administrative law judge. It was actually less intimidating than I expected - just answered questions about what happened.

Try using Claimyr to get through to an actual agent. I found out about it when I was in your situation - it's at claimyr.com and they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. Finally got a real person who could check my appeal status.

Never heard of that but at this point I'll try anything. The regular phone system is a nightmare.

That actually sounds really helpful. I've been calling for weeks with no luck getting through.

I know it's frustrating but they have to review all the evidence and sometimes schedule hearings. The system is backed up from all the pandemic claims too.

i get that but 7 weeks seems excessive for what should be a simple review

How do you know if they'll want a hearing? They haven't contacted me about scheduling anything yet.

They'll send you a notice if a hearing is required. Since yours is about voluntary quit vs layoff, they might want to hear from both you and your former employer.

My employer never showed up to my hearing and I won by default. Sometimes that works in your favor.

How much does something like that cost? I'm already broke from not getting benefits.

It's not about the cost - it's about finally getting answers. Check out their demo video to see how it works.

That's somewhat reassuring. At least I won't lose out on the money if I win the appeal.

exactly, and it includes the waiting week too if your state has one

Have you looked into emergency assistance programs while you wait? Some local organizations help with utilities and food.

Yeah I've been hitting up food banks. It's just frustrating that the appeal process takes so long.

The system definitely needs improvement. But once it's resolved you'll get a lump sum of all the back pay.

Wait, I'm supposed to keep filing weekly claims? I thought I couldn't since my claim was disqualified.

Yes! You have to keep filing to maintain your claim. It will show $0 but you need to do it for each week you want back pay if you win.

This is really important - I almost missed out on 2 weeks of back pay because nobody told me this initially.

That makes sense. Misconduct cases probably require more investigation.

Exactly. Layoff vs quit determinations are usually more straightforward if you have documentation.

That gives me hope! Did you have a phone hearing or was it decided on documents alone?

Phone hearing. Lasted about 20 minutes. The judge asked me to explain what happened and reviewed my employer's response.

Phone hearings aren't too bad. I was nervous but it was pretty straightforward questions.

I felt the same way until I used Claimyr to get through and ask about timing. At least then I had some idea of where things stood.

I keep seeing people mention that service. Might be worth looking into just for peace of mind.

Thanks for the encouragement. I definitely have strong documentation that it was a layoff, not a voluntary quit.

Same here. My company provided a letter confirming the layoff and I still had to wait 7 weeks for the appeal. But I won and got full back pay.

I'd rather have it be slow and fair than fast and wrong I guess.

Exactly. And the administrative law judges seem to actually review the evidence carefully.

Good point. I've been so focused on the appeal that I haven't been as active with job searching.

Yeah and if you win the appeal you'll need to meet job search requirements anyway, so might as well get started.

Congratulations! That gives me a lot of hope. Were you able to get any updates on timing before the decision came?

Not really through regular channels, but I did use one of those callback services someone mentioned earlier to check status once.

That's awesome news. I'm at week 6 now so hopefully mine comes soon too.