How long does it take to receive benefits from Washington ESD unemployment?

Thanks for the info! My claim status just says 'processed' - does that mean I'm in the clear for adjudication issues?

Processed is good but keep an eye on it. Sometimes adjudication issues pop up later, especially if your former employer contests the claim.

Have you tried calling right when they open at 8am? That's usually your best bet for getting through.

I've tried that multiple times but still can't get through. The phone system is terrible.

I had the same problem until I found claimyr.com - they actually helped me get through to an agent. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call myself.

What kind of additional documentation did they need? I'm worried they might ask for more stuff from me too.

they wanted pay stubs from my last 3 months of work and a letter from my employer explaining the layoff. took me a while to get it all together

Wait, I thought the waiting week was unpaid? Are you saying we do get that money eventually?

Yes, as long as you qualify for benefits, you'll eventually receive payment for your waiting week. It's not lost money, just delayed.

That's good to know! I was worried I'd lose that week completely.

That gives me hope! My layoff was pretty straightforward too - budget cuts at my company.

You're lucky! Mine took 6 weeks because they had to investigate whether I quit or was fired. Even though I was laid off, there was some confusion in the paperwork.

That's great news! How much did the service cost?

It was worth it to finally get answers instead of wasting more time calling. The peace of mind alone was valuable.

I'm skeptical of paying for something that should be free, but if it actually works...

Good point! I've been filing my weekly claims religiously. Even got the confirmation emails.

This is important - I made the mistake of not filing one week because I thought I didn't need to until my claim was approved. Big mistake!

Have you tried contacting your state representative? Sometimes they can help escalate cases that are stuck in the system.

I hadn't thought of that. At this point I'm willing to try anything.

Before you do that, try the Claimyr service - they might be able to connect you with someone who can actually resolve the issue instead of just giving you the runaround.

Congratulations! That gives me hope. Was it deposited directly or did you get a debit card?

Direct deposit. I set that up when I first filed my claim. Much faster than waiting for the debit card to arrive.

That's really helpful advice, thank you! I'll look into local resources.

211 is a good number to call for information about local assistance programs. They can tell you what's available in your area.

That timeline sounds reasonable. I'm at day 10 now so hopefully just another week or two.

Don't count on it being that smooth for everyone. I'm at 8 weeks and still fighting with them over my claim.

Processing times are definitely better than they were in 2020-2021, but still not great. They're dealing with a lot of backlog from various issues.

I filed in December and it was pretty quick - about 2.5 weeks. So maybe they are getting better.

This is my first time filing for unemployment so that shouldn't be an issue for me.

Lucky you! I have an overpayment from 2019 that they're still taking money from my benefits for.

That's the second recommendation I've seen for that service. Might be worth trying if I don't see movement soon.

I'm always hesitant about third-party services, but if it actually gets results...

I was skeptical too, but after weeks of getting nowhere on my own, it was worth it to finally get answers and move forward.