How long to get unemployment approved through Washington ESD?

What kind of issues would cause delays? I think I filled everything out correctly but now I'm second-guessing myself.

Common things that slow it down are issues with your separation reason, wage verification problems, or if you worked for multiple employers. Sometimes they need additional documentation from your former employer too.

Yeah I've been trying to call but can never get through. Did you have any luck reaching them?

Barely. I must have called 50+ times over several days. Eventually I found this service called Claimyr that helped me get connected to an actual agent. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Oh no, that's exactly what I'm worried about. How do you even fix something like that?

You have to provide documentation and sometimes they schedule a phone interview. It's a mess and takes forever. I wish I had known to be more careful about how I described my separation.

If there's a discrepancy between what you reported and what your employer reported, Washington ESD will investigate. Make sure you have any emails, texts, or documentation about your separation to support your version of events.

A month?? That's terrifying. How is anyone supposed to pay bills during that time?

Right? The system is broken. My friend had to borrow money from family just to survive while waiting.

Is there any way to check if my claim needs additional documentation? I don't want to just sit here waiting if there's something I need to do.

Log into your Washington ESD account regularly and check for any alerts or requests for information. They'll also send letters to your mailing address if they need anything from you.

Seriously, try that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier. It was the only way I could actually reach a human being at Washington ESD. Worth every penny to not waste entire days trying to get through.

At this point I'm willing to try anything. Thanks for the suggestion.

Why has it gotten worse? Are they understaffed or something?

Combination of higher claim volumes and staffing issues. They're processing more claims than they have in years but haven't scaled up their workforce accordingly.

Oh wow, so there WAS something you needed to do but they never told you? That's so frustrating.

Exactly! The system showed 'under review' but there was actually a specific document they were waiting for. No way I would have figured that out without talking to an actual person.

This is exactly why calling is so important, even though it's a pain. The online system doesn't always show you the full picture of what's happening with your claim.

5 weeks with no issues?? That's way longer than what everyone else is saying.

Yeah I don't know what happened. Maybe it got lost in the shuffle or something. By the time I got approved I was already behind on rent.

Wait really? I thought I had to wait until I was approved before filing weekly claims.

Nope, you should file weekly claims starting the week after you submit your initial application. That way if you get approved, you'll get paid for all those weeks retroactively.

This is correct. You need to file weekly claims continuously starting from your first week of unemployment, even during the approval process. Missing weekly claim filings can result in losing benefits for those weeks permanently.

Same boat here. The waiting and not knowing is the worst part.

yeah exactly, wish they would at least give you some kind of update or timeline

Thank you, this is really helpful. I'll check my account again and make sure I'm not missing anything.

Good advice but calling is basically impossible. That's why services like Claimyr exist - they actually help you get through to a real person instead of wasting hours on hold.

That's good to know at least. Hopefully I'll be in that position soon.

Hang in there! The waiting sucks but most people do eventually get approved if they're eligible.

I was laid off too so hopefully that helps speed things up. Did you have to provide any additional documentation during the process?

No, everything went smoothly. I think having the layoff notice from my employer helped a lot.

Ok so I shouldn't panic yet since I'm only at 10 days. I'll give it another week or two before I really start worrying.

Exactly. 10 days is still pretty early in the process. But definitely keep checking your account and filing weekly claims in the meantime.