How long does it take for Washington ESD unemployment claim to be approved - still waiting 2 weeks

Two weeks is actually pretty standard for Washington ESD to process initial claims. They have to verify your employment history and wages with your previous employers, which can take time. Most claims get approved within 2-3 weeks unless there are complications.

Have you checked if your claim went into adjudication? That can add several more weeks to the process. Log into your Washington ESD account and look for any pending issues or fact-finding questionnaires you might need to complete.

I had a similar situation last year and ended up using Claimyr to get through to someone at Washington ESD. The website is claimyr.com and they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call myself.

THE SYSTEM IS COMPLETELY BROKEN! I've been waiting 4 weeks for my claim and Washington ESD keeps giving me the runaround. They say one thing on the phone and something completely different in writing. It's like they don't want to pay people!

mine took exactly 17 days to get approved, just hang in there

Make sure you're continuing to file your weekly claims even while your initial claim is pending. If you miss weeks, you could lose benefits for those periods even after your claim gets approved.

washington esd is just slow right now with everything going on they're probably understaffed like everywhere else

I actually used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier and it worked great. Got connected to Washington ESD within an hour instead of calling all day. They were able to tell me exactly where my claim stood in the process.

Check your eligibility carefully too. Sometimes delays happen because there's an issue with your work history or wages that needs to be resolved first.

The waiting is awful but try not to panic yet. Two weeks really is normal for Washington ESD processing times. I know it feels forever when you need the money.

Keep documentation of everything - when you filed, what correspondence you've received, when you file weekly claims. If there are any issues later, having good records helps a lot.

honestly the whole unemployment system is designed to make you give up and not claim benefits you deserve

I remember when I filed mine took about 2.5 weeks but then I got a big deposit for all the back weeks at once. Just keep filing those weekly claims!

Try calling the customer service line early in the morning around 8 AM. Sometimes you can get through faster then.

Make sure you're meeting the job search requirements too even while your claim is pending. Washington ESD requires you to search for work and keep a log.

Two weeks isn't that bad really. I've heard of people waiting over a month, especially if their claim goes into adjudication for any reason.

hang in there it sucks but most claims do get approved eventually unless there's a real problem with eligibility

Good luck! Let us know when you hear back from Washington ESD. It's always good to hear success stories to give hope to others waiting.