How long does it take to get an answer from Washington ESD unemployment appeal?
I submitted my unemployment appeal to Washington ESD about 6 weeks ago after they denied my initial claim. The hearing was scheduled and completed 3 weeks ago, but I still haven't received any decision from the administrative law judge. My savings are running out and I'm getting really anxious about when I'll hear back. Has anyone else experienced long delays after their unemployment appeal hearing? What's the typical timeframe for getting a decision?
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Olivia Van-Cleve
Appeals can take forever with Washington ESD. I waited 8 weeks after my hearing before getting my decision letter in the mail.
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Amara Torres
•8 weeks?? That's insane. Did they backdate your benefits once they approved it?
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Olivia Van-Cleve
•Yeah they backdated everything to when I first filed, but the wait was brutal financially.
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Mason Kaczka
The official timeframe is supposed to be 30 days from the hearing date, but Washington ESD has been running behind on appeal decisions. You should receive a written decision either approving or denying your appeal. If approved, they'll process back pay for all eligible weeks.
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Amara Torres
•Good to know there's an official timeframe. Should I be doing anything while I wait or just sit tight?
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Mason Kaczka
•Keep filing your weekly claims even while waiting for the appeal decision. If you win, you'll need those filed to get paid for those weeks.
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Sophia Russo
I had success getting through to Washington ESD about my appeal status using Claimyr. It's a service that helps you actually reach a human agent instead of getting stuck in the phone maze. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and actually got answers about my case timeline.
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Amara Torres
•Never heard of that service. Is it legit? I've been trying to call Washington ESD for weeks with no luck.
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Sophia Russo
•Yeah it's at claimyr.com - basically they handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when they get an agent on the line. Worked great for me.
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Evelyn Xu
•Anything that helps get through to Washington ESD sounds worth trying at this point. Their phone system is absolutely terrible.
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Dominic Green
ugh the waiting is the worst part!! mine took 10 weeks and i was checking the mail every single day. finally got approved though so hang in there
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Amara Torres
•10 weeks is crazy! I'm only at 6 weeks post-hearing and already going nuts. Glad yours worked out though.
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Hannah Flores
Washington ESD's appeal system is completely broken. They're understaffed, overwhelmed, and frankly don't care how long people wait. I know someone who waited 4 MONTHS for their appeal decision. FOUR MONTHS! Meanwhile people are losing their homes waiting for benefits they're legally entitled to.
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Amara Torres
•4 months?! That can't be legal. There has to be some kind of time limit they have to follow.
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Hannah Flores
•You'd think so but apparently not. The whole system is designed to wear people down until they give up and stop fighting.
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Mason Kaczka
•While delays are frustrating, most appeal decisions do come within 6-8 weeks. The extreme cases aren't typical, though they definitely happen.
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Kayla Jacobson
What was your hearing about? Sometimes the type of appeal affects how long the decision takes.
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Amara Torres
•They denied me for 'voluntary quit' even though I was laid off. Had to provide all kinds of documentation to prove it wasn't voluntary.
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Kayla Jacobson
•Those cases usually go pretty quick once you have the documentation. Voluntary quit appeals are pretty straightforward if you have proof of layoff.
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Olivia Van-Cleve
Check your online account regularly - sometimes the decision shows up there before the letter arrives in the mail. Also make sure your address is current with Washington ESD.
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Amara Torres
•Good tip! I've been checking online but nothing yet. Address is definitely current.
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William Rivera
•Same here, kept refreshing my account daily waiting for any update. The suspense is killer.
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Sophia Russo
Just wanted to follow up - I used Claimyr again last week to check on a different issue and they're still working great. Got connected to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of the usual hours of calling. Really recommend it if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD about your appeal timeline.
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Grace Lee
•I might try this Claimyr thing too. Been calling Washington ESD for 3 days straight with no luck getting through.
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Amara Torres
•Yeah I'm definitely going to check out that service. At this point I'll try anything to get some answers about my appeal.
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Mia Roberts
The judge at my hearing said it would be 'about a month' for the decision but that was 7 weeks ago. Really wish they'd be more honest about the actual timeframes.
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Amara Torres
•Exactly! If they know it takes 2 months, just say 2 months instead of getting people's hopes up.
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Mia Roberts
•Right? The false hope is almost worse than just knowing it'll be a long wait from the start.
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The Boss
i think mine was like 5 or 6 weeks? can't remember exactly but it felt like forever when you're waiting
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Amara Torres
•Yeah every day feels like a week when you're waiting for something this important.
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Mason Kaczka
One thing to keep in mind - if your appeal is approved, Washington ESD will pay you for all the weeks you were eligible, including the time you were waiting for the decision. So while the wait is stressful, you won't lose out on benefits if you win.
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Amara Torres
•That's reassuring at least. Just hoping I can make it financially until then.
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Evan Kalinowski
•This is true but doesn't help with bills that are due NOW while you're waiting.
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Mason Kaczka
•Absolutely, the financial stress during the waiting period is real and challenging for many people.
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Victoria Charity
Have you tried contacting your state representative? Sometimes political pressure can speed things up with Washington ESD appeals.
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Amara Torres
•I hadn't thought of that. Do they actually help with individual cases like this?
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Victoria Charity
•Some do, especially if there are obvious delays beyond normal timeframes. Worth a shot if you're really stuck.
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Jasmine Quinn
The whole appeals process is such a joke. They make it as difficult and slow as possible hoping people will just give up and go away.
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Amara Torres
•It definitely feels that way sometimes. Like they're trying to discourage people from appealing.
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Oscar Murphy
My cousin waited 9 weeks for her appeal decision last year. She eventually got approved and received a big lump sum of back pay, but the wait was really tough.
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Amara Torres
•9 weeks... I hope mine doesn't take that long but at least she got approved in the end.
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Oscar Murphy
•Yeah she was stressed the whole time but said the back pay made up for some of the hassle.
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Sophia Russo
Update on Claimyr - I recommended it to my neighbor who was waiting on an appeal and she was able to get through and check her case status. The agent told her appeal decisions are currently running 6-8 weeks behind schedule due to high volume. At least now she knows what to expect.
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Amara Torres
•That's really helpful info! I'm definitely going to try calling through Claimyr to see if I can get a status update on mine.
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Nora Bennett
•Good to know they're actually giving realistic timeframes when you can get through to someone.
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Ryan Andre
hang in there! the waiting sucks but most people do eventually get their decisions. keep filing those weekly claims in the meantime
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Amara Torres
•Thanks for the encouragement! Yeah I'm still filing every week just in case.
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Lauren Zeb
I work at a legal aid office and we see a lot of unemployment appeals. 6-10 weeks is pretty normal right now for Washington ESD. The system is just backed up from high case volumes.
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Amara Torres
•Good to hear from someone with professional experience. That makes me feel a bit better about the timeline.
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Lauren Zeb
•Yeah it's frustrating but within normal ranges for the current system. Your case should move through eventually.
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Daniel Washington
Whatever you do, don't stop filing your weekly claims while waiting! I made that mistake and had to fight to get those weeks added back when my appeal was approved.
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Amara Torres
•Definitely still filing every week. That would be a nightmare to lose weeks because of that mistake.
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Daniel Washington
•Exactly - learned that lesson the hard way. Keep filing no matter how long the appeal takes.
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Aurora Lacasse
My appeal took exactly 7 weeks from hearing to decision letter. Got approved and received about $4,200 in back pay. The wait was worth it but definitely nerve-wracking.
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Amara Torres
•That's encouraging! I'm at 6 weeks now so hopefully mine comes through soon too.
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Aurora Lacasse
•Fingers crossed for you! The relief when that approval letter finally arrives is amazing.
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Anthony Young
•Wow $4200 is a nice chunk of back pay. Makes the wait a little more bearable knowing that's possible.
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Charlotte White
try not to stress too much about it (easier said than done i know). the decision will come when it comes and theres not much you can do to speed it up
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Amara Torres
•You're right, I just need to be patient. It's just hard when bills are piling up and I'm not working.
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