How long does it take for your unemployment to be approved in Washington ESD?

It took about 2 weeks for mine to get approved last month. But that was pretty straightforward - no complications or anything.

The timeline really depends on whether your claim needs adjudication or not. If Washington ESD needs to verify your work history or investigate any issues, it can take much longer - sometimes 4-6 weeks or more. Since you're only at 10 days, you're still within the normal processing window.

I've been waiting 3 weeks and still nothing. Keep calling Washington ESD but can never get through - the phone system is terrible. Getting really frustrated with this whole process.

TYPICAL WASHINGTON ESD NONSENSE. They take forever to process claims but expect you to file your weekly claims on time or they'll disqualify you. The whole system is backwards.

Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while waiting for approval. That's a requirement and if you miss weeks, you'll lose those benefits even if your claim gets approved later.

Also make sure you're doing your job search requirements. Even if your claim isn't approved yet, you need to be looking for work and logging your activities.

Mine took forever too but turned out there was an issue with my previous employer not responding to Washington ESD's request for information. Might be worth calling to check if there are any hold-ups.

Just wanted to follow up on the Claimyr thing - I used it again yesterday to check on my claim status and got through to an agent right away. She was able to tell me exactly where my claim stood and what to expect next. Way better than waiting on hold for hours.

Remember that Washington ESD is still dealing with higher than normal claim volumes. Two weeks is pretty standard for straightforward claims right now.

whatever you do dont stop filing weekly claims!! i made that mistake and lost 3 weeks of benefits even after my claim got approved

I work for a nonprofit that helps people with unemployment claims. The average processing time for Washington ESD right now is 14-21 days for claims without complications. Restaurant closures are usually straightforward since there's no question about the reason for separation.

Check your account daily but dont obsess over it. The status will change when it changes. I drove myself crazy checking every few hours.

UPDATE: I tried Claimyr this morning and actually got through to a Washington ESD agent! She told me my claim was approved yesterday but the system just hadn't updated yet. Sometimes talking to a real person is the only way to get answers.

Be patient but also be proactive. If you hit the 3 week mark with no communication, definitely reach out to Washington ESD to make sure nothing is stuck.

Also remember that once your claim is approved, you'll get paid for all the weeks you filed weekly claims, including the ones while you were waiting for approval. So you won't lose that money if you keep filing.

restaurants have been closing left and right lately, washington esd is probably seeing tons of claims like yours so they know its legit

I'm going through something similar - filed 12 days ago and still waiting. At least I know I'm not alone in this!

Final reminder: keep filing weekly claims, keep doing job searches, and don't panic unless you go past 3-4 weeks without any communication. Washington ESD is slower than we'd like but they do process claims.

Good luck OP! Hope you hear something soon. This whole process is stressful enough without having to guess about timelines.

Just to close the loop on Claimyr - I've now used it three times and it's worked every time to get me connected to Washington ESD. Really recommend it if you're having trouble reaching them through normal channels.