How many weeks to get unemployment benefits approved in Washington ESD?

How do I know if my claim needs adjudication? My account doesn't show any specific issues that I can see.

Check your correspondence section in your Washington ESD account. If they need more info, they'll usually send you a fact-finding questionnaire or request documents.

5 weeks?? That's terrifying. I can't wait that long without any income coming in.

That's why I ended up using Claimyr to get through to an actual agent. The site is claimyr.com and they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me weeks of calling and getting busy signals.

I was laid off due to budget cuts, so hopefully that's straightforward enough. No misconduct or anything like that.

Layoffs are usually pretty clean, so you should be on the faster side. Just make sure you're doing your weekly claims every week even while waiting for approval.

8 weeks means there's definitely an adjudication issue. Have you received any correspondence asking for additional information?

yeah they wanted some employment verification stuff which i sent in 3 weeks ago. radio silence since then

You really need to talk to someone at Washington ESD directly about that timeline. The adjudication process shouldn't take that long once you've provided the requested docs.

Wait, there's a waiting week? So even when approved I won't get paid for the first week I filed?

Correct. The first week you file serves as your waiting week and is unpaid. It's been that way for years in Washington state.

Good to know layoffs are faster. I'm hoping mine processes quickly since it was definitely not my choice to leave.

This is exactly why I used Claimyr when I was in a similar situation. Sometimes you just need to talk to an actual person to get things moving. Worth checking out their service if you're stuck in limbo.

I've heard of that but wasn't sure if it was legit. How does it actually work?

Basically they handle the calling for you and get you connected to an Washington ESD agent. Way better than spending hours trying to get through yourself.

Congratulations! Did you get paid for all the weeks you were waiting or just going forward?

I got backpay for all eligible weeks minus the waiting week. So if you file weekly claims while waiting, you'll get paid for those weeks once approved.

2 weeks is still within normal timeframes. Don't panic yet, but make sure you're checking your account daily and doing your weekly claims.

ok thanks. i keep checking obsessively but trying to stay patient

The system definitely has room for improvement, but Washington actually processes claims faster than many states. The issue is volume and complexity of cases.

This is really helpful, thank you. So I should expect to wait at least 3-4 weeks before getting worried.

Exactly. And remember the waiting week isn't counted in processing time, so don't include that in your timeline expectations.

Thankfully mine was a straightforward layoff, so hopefully that helps my timeline.

How did you finally get through? I've tried calling but it's always busy or I get disconnected.

I called right at 8am when they opened and kept redialing. Took about 50 tries but eventually got in the queue.

That's exactly the problem Claimyr solves - they do all that calling for you. I wish I'd known about it earlier instead of wasting hours on the phone.

That's usually a last resort option, but some people have had success getting legislative staff to inquire about delayed claims.

might try that if i don't hear something soon. bills don't wait for government bureaucracy

Good point, I've been doing them every week religiously. Even though it feels pointless when nothing is happening.

It's not pointless! Those weekly claims establish your continued eligibility. You'll get backpay for those weeks once approved.

That's probably the most realistic expectation. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, this really helped manage my expectations.

Glad we could help! Remember to keep checking your account daily and don't hesitate to call if you have specific questions about your claim.