How long does it take for Washington ESD unemployment to approve you - still waiting after 2 weeks
Filed my initial claim with Washington ESD two weeks ago and still haven't heard anything back. My claim status just says 'pending' when I log into my account. I lost my job at a restaurant downtown due to slow business and I'm getting really stressed about bills piling up. Is this normal? How long should I expect to wait before my unemployment gets approved? I've been doing my weekly claims but nothing's coming through yet.
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Vincent Bimbach
Two weeks is pretty normal for Washington ESD initial processing. They have to verify your employment history and make sure everything checks out. Did you get any correspondence asking for additional documentation?
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Skylar Neal
•No letters or emails yet, just the confirmation that they received my application. Should I be worried?
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Vincent Bimbach
•Not yet. If it goes past 3-4 weeks without any updates, then I'd start making some calls to check on the status.
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Kelsey Chin
took mine 3 weeks last year when i got laid off from my warehouse job, just had to be patient
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Skylar Neal
•That's somewhat reassuring, thanks. Did you get backpay for those weeks you were waiting?
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Kelsey Chin
•yeah they paid me for all the weeks i filed claims for once it got approved
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Norah Quay
The typical processing time for Washington ESD is 14-21 business days for initial claims, but it can take longer if they need to verify information with your employer or if there are any complications. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while it's pending - you'll get backpay once approved.
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Skylar Neal
•Good to know about continuing the weekly claims. I was wondering if I should keep doing those.
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Leo McDonald
•Yeah definitely keep filing weekly claims! That's super important even while you're waiting for initial approval.
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Jessica Nolan
I had to wait almost a month because they couldn't reach my previous employer to verify my wages. If you're getting anxious about the wait, there's actually a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that can help you get through to Washington ESD agents faster when you need to check on your claim status. They have this demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ. Saved me hours of trying to call myself.
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Skylar Neal
•That sounds helpful! I've been trying to call Washington ESD but always get busy signals or get disconnected.
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Angelina Farar
•I've heard of Claimyr but never tried it. Does it actually work for getting through to real people at Washington ESD?
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Jessica Nolan
•Yeah it worked for me. They basically handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when an agent picks up. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.
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Sebastián Stevens
THE SYSTEM IS SO BROKEN!!! I've been waiting 5 WEEKS and still nothing. They keep saying they're 'processing' but nobody can tell me what that actually means. How are we supposed to survive without income while they take their sweet time???
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Norah Quay
•Five weeks is definitely longer than normal. Have you tried calling to find out if there's a specific issue holding up your claim?
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Sebastián Stevens
•I've called probably 50 times and either get hung up on or told someone will call me back (they never do). This is ridiculous.
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Bethany Groves
•That's awful, I'm sorry you're going through that. The phone system is definitely frustrating.
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Leo McDonald
Mine took exactly 18 days from filing to first payment. Restaurant workers sometimes have complications because of tip reporting, so that might be why yours is taking a bit longer. Just hang in there!
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Skylar Neal
•Oh that's a good point about tips. I did report tips on my wages, maybe that's complicating things.
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Leo McDonald
•Yeah they have to verify tip income with your employer which can add extra time to the process.
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Vincent Bimbach
If you haven't received any requests for additional information, that's actually a good sign. It usually means your claim is straightforward and just working through the normal queue. Washington ESD processes thousands of claims, so there's always a backlog.
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Skylar Neal
•That makes me feel better. I was starting to think something was wrong with my application.
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KingKongZilla
•Same thing happened to me - no news ended up being good news. Got approved on day 16.
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Rebecca Johnston
My cousin works at Washington ESD (not in claims processing though) and she says they're still dealing with higher volumes than pre-2020. Two weeks is totally normal, don't stress yet.
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Skylar Neal
•Thanks for the inside perspective! That helps put things in context.
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Angelina Farar
•It's crazy that they're still backed up after all this time. You'd think they would have figured out how to handle the volume by now.
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Nathan Dell
whatever you do dont call them every day like i did, i think it actually made my case take longer because they kept having to add notes about my calls
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Skylar Neal
•Good advice, I'll try to be patient and not pester them.
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Vincent Bimbach
•Yeah, calling too frequently can actually slow things down. Once a week max if you really need an update.
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Bethany Groves
I feel for you! The waiting is the worst part. Try to stay busy with job searching in the meantime - it helps pass the time and you have to do it anyway once you're approved.
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Skylar Neal
•Yeah I've been applying to places but it's hard to focus when I'm worried about money.
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Bethany Groves
•I totally understand. Just remember that once it's approved, you'll get backpay for all the weeks you've been waiting.
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Norah Quay
One thing to keep in mind - if your claim goes into adjudication for any reason, that can add significant time to the process. But most restaurant worker claims are pretty straightforward unless there were issues with your separation from the employer.
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Skylar Neal
•What exactly is adjudication? I keep seeing that term but don't really understand it.
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Norah Quay
•Adjudication is when they need to investigate something about your claim - like if your employer contests it or if there are questions about why you left your job. It's a more detailed review process.
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Maya Jackson
•Adjudication is the worst - mine took 6 weeks because my old boss lied about why I was let go.
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Tristan Carpenter
I was in the same boat last month and ended up using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. It was worth it just for peace of mind - got connected to an agent in like 20 minutes instead of spending all day trying to call. They told me my claim was processing normally and would be approved within the week, which it was.
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Skylar Neal
•That sounds like it might be worth trying if I don't hear anything by next week.
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Angelina Farar
•How much does something like that cost though? I'm already tight on money.
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Tristan Carpenter
•It wasn't expensive and honestly saved me so much stress and time. Way cheaper than missing work to sit on hold all day.
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Amaya Watson
two weeks is nothing lol mine took 6 weeks and that was before covid, just be glad you dont have to go to the office in person anymore
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Skylar Neal
•Six weeks?! That sounds horrible. At least everything's online now I guess.
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Grant Vikers
•The online system is definitely better than the old days of waiting in those long lines at the unemployment office.
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Giovanni Martello
Keep checking your claim status online and make sure you're still filing weekly claims. Sometimes people forget to do the weekly claims while waiting for approval and then they lose out on benefits for those weeks.
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Skylar Neal
•Yeah I've been keeping up with the weekly claims. Glad I asked here because I wasn't sure if I should keep doing those.
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Giovanni Martello
•Good! A lot of people make that mistake and then have to fight to get those weeks added back.
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Savannah Weiner
The restaurant industry has been so unpredictable lately. Hopefully you get approved soon and can focus on finding something more stable. Two weeks really isn't that long in Washington ESD time.
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Skylar Neal
•Yeah I'm definitely looking for something with more consistent hours this time around.
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Leo McDonald
•Smart move - restaurant work can be so up and down depending on the season and economy.
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Levi Parker
Just went through this same process. Got laid off from my retail job in December and it took exactly 19 days from filing to first payment. The waiting sucks but it's worth it when that first deposit hits your account!
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Skylar Neal
•19 days sounds about right based on what everyone else is saying. Thanks for sharing your timeline.
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Levi Parker
•No problem! Just hang in there - it'll come through soon.
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Libby Hassan
If you're really worried, you could try using that phone service to get through to an agent and just ask for a status update. Sometimes just knowing where things stand can reduce the anxiety even if it doesn't speed things up.
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Skylar Neal
•Yeah that Claimyr thing sounds like it might be worth it just for peace of mind. Better than sitting here wondering what's happening.
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Norah Quay
•That's true - sometimes just getting confirmation that everything is processing normally can help with the stress of waiting.
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Hunter Hampton
hang in there! i know the waiting is stressful but two weeks is totally normal. once you get that first payment youll feel so much better
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Skylar Neal
•Thanks for the encouragement! This thread has made me feel a lot better about the timeline.
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Hunter Hampton
•thats what this forum is for - we've all been through the same stress with washington esd!
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