How long does it take for Washington ESD unemployment to approve you - still waiting after 4 weeks

I checked my SAW account and don't see any issues listed. Just says 'claim under review' with no other details. Should I be worried that it's taking this long?

Not necessarily. Sometimes claims just take longer due to high volume or if they need to verify your employment history with multiple employers. Keep filing your weekly claims though - that's important.

Good luck getting through on the phone. I've been trying for weeks and either get busy signals or get disconnected after waiting for hours. The phone system is completely overwhelmed.

Actually, I had luck with a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents. They have this system that keeps calling until they connect you to a real person. I was skeptical at first but it actually worked - got through in about 20 minutes instead of hours of trying myself. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Five weeks?? I really hope it doesn't take that long. Did you ever find out why it took so long?

they said it was because they had to verify my wages with my previous employer and it took forever for the employer to respond to their request

What kind of red flags trigger adjudication? I'm worried my claim might be flagged because I was laid off from a temporary position.

Temporary layoffs usually aren't an issue. Red flags are more like: being fired for misconduct, quitting without good cause, wage discrepancies between what you reported and what your employer reported, or if you're receiving other benefits like workers comp.

I feel your frustration. Have you looked into emergency assistance programs while you wait? Some local food banks and utility companies have programs for people waiting on unemployment benefits.

I shouldn't have to rely on charity when I paid into this system for years! But yeah, I've been to the food bank twice already.

That gives me hope! Did you get any notification when it was approved or did the money just show up?

I got an email saying my claim was approved and then the direct deposit hit my account about 2 days later. The waiting was the worst part.

YES, absolutely keep filing your weekly claims! This is crucial. If you don't file them, you won't get paid for those weeks even after you're approved. Washington ESD requires continuous weekly filing to establish your claim for each week.

Okay good, I have been filing them. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong.

Do you know if there are certain times of year when processing is slower? Like is it worse right now because of holiday layoffs?

January and February tend to be busier due to seasonal layoffs and holiday retail job endings. Summer can also be busy with students filing claims. But honestly, it's been consistently high volume since 2020.

Yeah that was me who mentioned it. I was really skeptical but it actually worked. I got connected to an agent who was able to tell me exactly what was holding up my claim. Turns out there was a simple verification issue that I was able to resolve right on the call.

Sounds too good to be true honestly. How much does it cost?

I'd rather not get into pricing here, but for me it was worth it to finally get answers after weeks of uncertainty. You can check their website at claimyr.com for details.

How do you request an expedited review? Is there a specific process or do you just ask when you call?

You just ask for it when you speak to an agent. They'll ask you to explain your financial hardship situation. It's not guaranteed but it's worth trying if you're really struggling.

Good point! I got a form asking me to verify my work search activities that I had to mail back. Didn't show up in my online account at all.

I haven't gotten anything in the mail yet but I'll keep checking. Thanks for the heads up!

Totally agree. Other states have much better online systems that actually tell you what step your claim is on. Washington's system feels like it's from 2005.

The lack of transparency is definitely frustrating. Most of the time the delay is just due to processing volume, but there's no way for claimants to know that vs. thinking something is wrong with their claim.

Congrats! How did you finally get through on the phone? I've been trying for days with no luck.

I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Figured it was worth a shot since I was getting nowhere calling myself. Got connected in about 15 minutes.

That's a good tip! I never thought to check the payment history section.

Just checked and mine still shows no payments, but I'll keep monitoring it. Thanks for the suggestion!

This is so important! I made the mistake of not filing for two weeks early on because I thought I had to wait for approval first. Lost out on those payments completely.

Good thing I've been filing every week then. It's annoying to file when nothing is happening but sounds like it's necessary.

Exactly! My claim was held up for an extra 2 weeks because they needed me to verify my identity and I never got the notice. Once I called and found out, it was resolved within a day.

This is making me more motivated to actually get through to someone on the phone. I'm going to try that Claimyr thing tomorrow.