How long does an employer have to respond to Washington ESD unemployment claim?

That's good to know! It's been about 8 days since I filed so hopefully they'll respond soon or ESD will just approve it.

wait is it 10 calendar days or 10 business days? i thought it was business days

It's 10 calendar days from when ESD sends the separation notice to the employer. Business days would be different.

Oh no, that sounds awful! Did you have to pay back any benefits when they contested it?

No, thankfully the adjudicator ruled in my favor. But I was stressed for weeks waiting for the decision.

Employers can contest even after the 10-day deadline, but it's less common. ESD will still review late responses but the burden of proof is higher on the employer.

Thanks for the tip! I've been trying to call ESD but can never get through. How much does this service cost?

They don't require any personal info upfront which I liked. The main thing is it actually works - I was able to talk to someone at ESD within an hour instead of spending days calling.

never heard of this but might try it if my claim gets stuck in adjudication

I understand your frustration. After 3 weeks, your claim should have moved forward regardless of employer response. You might want to check if there's an adjudication issue or if your claim got flagged for some other reason.

How am I supposed to check anything when nobody at ESD ever answers the phone???

This is exactly why I used Claimyr - the regular ESD phone system is impossible. At least with their service I could actually talk to someone and find out what was holding up my claim.

This is really helpful! Do you know if employers are more likely to contest if they fired you versus laid you off?

Employers are definitely more likely to contest if they fired you for misconduct. Layoffs due to lack of work are rarely contested since there's no question about eligibility.

what about if you quit? can you still get unemployment?

You can get unemployment if you quit for good cause, but the bar is pretty high. Things like unsafe working conditions, harassment, or significant changes to your job duties might qualify.

That's exactly what I'm worried about! Did you have documentation to support your case?

yeah i kept emails and my timecard records. but the appeal process is so slow, been waiting 6 weeks for a hearing

Appeal hearings are backed up right now. Make sure you have all your documentation ready and consider getting a representative to help you present your case.

That's good insight! My former employer was pretty small and disorganized, so maybe they just forgot to respond.

or maybe they're just jerks who want to make life difficult for former employees

That happens too unfortunately. Some employers contest claims even when they know the employee was laid off, just to be difficult.

Good point! I've been filing weekly but wasn't sure if I should continue. Thanks for clarifying.

yep this is important, dont stop filing or you might lose out on benefits

That gives me hope! I'm on day 9 now so hopefully tomorrow or Monday I'll hear something.

Fingers crossed for you! The system works, it just takes time.

Yeah I've tried calling multiple times. The line is always busy or I get disconnected after waiting. Maybe I'll check out that Claimyr thing.

It's worth a try. At least you can get a real person to explain what's happening with your claim instead of just guessing.

That timeline sounds reasonable. I'm hoping for a similar experience. Thanks for sharing!

Oh I hadn't thought about that. How would I know if that happened?

You should get a letter or notice in your ESD account if there's an adjudication issue. Just keep checking your account daily.

This is a good point. Adjudication can be triggered by inconsistencies between what you reported and what the employer reported, even if both parties agree on the basic facts.

8 weeks?! That's terrible. I'm definitely going to get all my documentation together just in case.

yeah it was awful. but i eventually won the appeal so it worked out. just be prepared for the long haul if things go sideways

That's frustrating that it's not consistent. Makes it hard to know what to expect.

ESD does have discretion to accept late responses if there's a valid reason for the delay, like if the employer never received the notice or there was a technical issue.

That's reassuring. I was laid off so I'm hoping there won't be any contest, but good to know I still have options if there is.

Layoffs are usually pretty straightforward. You should be fine!

Congratulations! That's great news.

lucky you! still waiting on mine

Wait, this isn't my update - this is someone else's story. I'm still waiting on mine! But glad it worked out for this person.

Oops sorry, I meant to start a new thread! But hopefully yours comes through soon too.

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I feel much better about the process now. I'll keep filing weekly and hope for the best.

Good luck! And remember if you need to actually talk to someone at ESD, Claimyr is there as an option to cut through the phone queue nightmare.