How long does it take for unemployment determination - Washington ESD taking forever?

Six weeks is definitely longer than normal for a basic determination. Typically Washington ESD processes standard claims within 2-3 weeks unless there's an issue that requires adjudication. Have you checked if there are any pending issues listed in your account?

I don't see any specific issues listed, just says pending determination. Should I be worried something's wrong with my application?

Not necessarily wrong, but there might be something that needs verification. Could be employment dates, wages, or reason for separation that needs review.

ugh same situation here! filed 5 weeks ago and nothing. tried calling washington esd like 50 times but always get busy signal or they hang up after waiting forever

I actually found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to Washington ESD when I was stuck in adjudication. They basically call for you and get you connected to an actual person. Check out claimyr.com - there's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Really? How much does it cost? I'm desperate at this point

It's worth it when you're stuck like this. Way better than spending hours trying to get through yourself. Finally got my adjudication resolved after weeks of frustration.

The determination process has definitely gotten slower since COVID. Before 2020 it was usually 10-14 days max, now they're swamped and understaffed. Washington ESD is processing way more claims than they used to handle.

That makes sense. I remember getting approved in like a week back in 2019 when I was laid off.

Exactly. The system just isn't built for the volume they're dealing with now, even though the pandemic emergency programs ended.

WHAT THE HELL IS TAKING SO LONG??? I've been waiting 8 WEEKS for my determination and Washington ESD won't even tell me what the holdup is. This is ridiculous - people need money to live!

I feel your frustration. Eight weeks is definitely excessive. Have you tried reaching out to your state representative's office? Sometimes they can help push things along.

Didn't think of that. Will try anything at this point.

Few things that can delay determination: 1) Multiple employers in your base period that Washington ESD needs to verify wages with, 2) Quit vs fired discrepancy between you and employer, 3) Out of state wages that need verification, 4) Identity verification issues. Any of these apply to your situation?

I did have wages from Oregon last year before moving to Washington. Could that be causing the delay?

Yes! Interstate wage verification can add weeks to the process. Washington ESD has to request records from Oregon and that takes forever.

Same issue here with California wages. Took almost 2 months to get everything sorted out.

Try logging into your account really early in the morning like 6 AM. sometimes they update stuff overnight and you might see more details about what's holding up your claim

Good idea, I'll check first thing tomorrow morning

If you really need to talk to someone at Washington ESD about your determination status, I'd definitely recommend trying Claimyr. They got me through to an adjudicator who explained exactly what was holding up my claim. Without that call I'd probably still be waiting blindly.

How does that even work? Do they just call for you?

Yeah they handle all the calling and waiting, then connect you when they get someone on the line. Saved me hours of frustration trying to get through myself.

mine took 4 weeks exactly but that was for a pretty straightforward layoff situation. no complications with wages or anything

Ugh so jealous. 4 weeks sounds amazing compared to what I'm dealing with

Also keep in mind that once you get your determination, if it's approved, they'll pay you retroactively for all the weeks you filed. So you won't lose those payments, they're just delayed.

That's the only thing keeping me sane right now. At least I won't lose the money completely.

Yeah I got like $2800 in back payments when mine finally went through. Big relief.

Washington ESD determination times by claim type from my experience: Simple layoff = 2-3 weeks, Quit with good cause = 4-6 weeks, Fired for misconduct = 6-8 weeks, Interstate wages = 6-10 weeks, Identity issues = 4-12 weeks depending on documents needed

This is super helpful! I'm probably in the interstate wages category so 6-10 weeks makes sense unfortunately

Wow those fired for misconduct ones take forever. Makes sense though since they have to investigate more.

Just keep filing your weekly claims even while waiting for determination! I made the mistake of stopping and it caused issues later

Yeah I've been doing that. It feels weird filing when I don't know if I'm even eligible but good to know it's the right thing to do

The waiting is absolutely brutal. I went through this same thing last year and it nearly drove me crazy not knowing what was happening. Once I finally got through to someone they resolved it in like 2 days, but getting that contact was the hard part.

How did you finally get through?

Honestly I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Worth every penny to avoid the phone hell.

Check if you got any letters from Washington ESD in the mail. Sometimes they send requests for additional info that you might have missed.

Good point, I'll double check. Haven't gotten anything but maybe I missed something

I work at a company that does a lot of layoffs and I've seen determination times all over the place. Shortest was 10 days, longest was 3 months for someone with a complicated work history. Hang in there!

3 months?? That's terrifying but thanks for the perspective

That person probably had some unusual circumstances though. Most people don't wait that long.

The key is getting someone on the phone to explain what's happening. That's literally the only way to get real answers about your specific situation instead of just guessing.

Yeah that's what I'm realizing. Going to try that Claimyr thing people keep mentioning since regular calling isn't working

Smart choice. The phone system is basically broken for normal people trying to get through.

Update us when you hear something! Always curious how these situations resolve

Will do! Hopefully I'll have good news to share soon

One more thing about Claimyr - they're really good at getting you to the right department too. Like if you need adjudication vs regular claims vs appeals, they know who to connect you with. Super helpful when the system is so confusing.

That actually sounds perfect for my situation. I have no idea who I even need to talk to

Stay strong everyone! The waiting sucks but most people do eventually get their claims processed. It's just a matter of patience and persistence.

Thanks for the encouragement. Really needed to hear that today

For what it's worth, I've noticed Washington ESD seems to process claims in batches. Sometimes you'll see no movement for weeks then suddenly a bunch of people get determinations the same day.

Interesting! Maybe I'm just waiting for my batch to come up

Yeah I've noticed that pattern too. Seems like they work through cases in groups rather than individual order.

Don't give up hope! My determination took 7 weeks but once it came through everything was smooth sailing. Just had to be patient through the worst part.

Thank you! That gives me hope that I'm probably close since I'm at 6 weeks

I'm going through the exact same thing right now - filed 5 weeks ago and still pending determination. It's so frustrating not knowing what's causing the delay or when it might be resolved. Reading through everyone's experiences here is actually really helpful though. I had no idea interstate wages could cause such long delays, and the Claimyr service sounds like it might be worth trying if I can't get through soon. Thanks for posting this question Connor, at least we know we're not alone in this waiting game!

I'm in week 7 of waiting for my determination and honestly, this thread has been more helpful than anything I've gotten from Washington ESD directly. The interstate wages explanation makes perfect sense - I worked in California before moving here and filed my claim based on those wages. Really wish they would communicate this stuff upfront instead of leaving us all in the dark guessing what's wrong. Going to try that Claimyr service this week because I'm tired of hitting redial 100 times a day just to get a busy signal. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, at least now I know I'm not crazy for expecting better communication from the system!