How long does it take to get your waiting week for unemployment processed by Washington ESD?

Oh I see, so I still need to keep filing weekly claims during the waiting week? I thought I just had to wait for them to approve something.

Yes exactly! You file for every week you're unemployed, but the first eligible week is unpaid. It's not a processing delay, it's just policy.

Ugh the phone situation is impossible. I tried calling for two weeks straight, always got the busy signal or got disconnected after waiting on hold for hours.

Actually, there's this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to Washington ESD. They basically call for you and get you connected to an actual agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.

Never heard of that before. Does it actually work? I'm desperate at this point.

What kind of flags would delay it? My claim has been pending for over a week now and I'm worried something's wrong.

Common issues are employer disputes, unclear reason for job separation, or missing documentation. Check your eServices account to see if there are any outstanding requirements.

Wait, really? I was unemployed for about 5 days before I filed. Does that mean my waiting week already started?

It depends on exactly when you became unemployed and when you filed. Washington ESD looks at complete weeks, so if you weren't unemployed for a full week before filing, your waiting week would be the first full week you claim.

Yeah the terminology is misleading. You don't wait to apply - you apply immediately. The 'waiting week' just means the first week you're eligible won't be paid.

Exactly! I made the same mistake and filed a week late thinking I had to wait. Lost out on potential benefits because of the confusion.

That's helpful to know! Did you have to do anything special to speed up the process or did it just go automatically?

Nothing special, just made sure to file my weekly claims on time and didn't have any complicating factors like multiple employers or a complicated separation reason.

How much does something like that cost? I'm already tight on money obviously.

I can't remember the exact amount but it was worth it for me since I was losing way more money sitting in adjudication limbo. They have all the details on their site.

Good point! I forgot about the job search requirement during my waiting week and almost got in trouble for it later.

How many job contacts do we need to make per week? I couldn't find clear info on this.

It's typically 3 job contacts per week, but check with WorkSource or your eligibility determination letter to be sure. Keep detailed records of all your search activities.

December?! That's way too long. Have you tried appealing or getting help from an advocate?

I've tried everything. Currently working with a local legal aid office but it's still a mess. The system is just overwhelmed I think.

Good question! If your appeal is successful, your waiting week would typically be applied to the first week you were eligible in your original claim period, not when the appeal was decided.

That makes sense. Thanks for clarifying!

Agreed. The uncertainty is the worst part. You never know if something is processing normally or if there's a problem.

Exactly why I ended up using Claimyr - needed to actually talk to someone to understand what was happening with my claim status.