How to get unemployment pay approved faster in Washington state?

First thing - file your initial claim on the Washington ESD website as soon as possible. Don't wait! You can't get benefits for weeks before you file. The online application walks you through everything step by step. Make sure you have your social security number, employment history for the last 18 months, and reason for separation ready.

After you file your initial claim, you have to file weekly claims every week to get paid. Even if your claim isn't approved yet, keep filing those weekly claims! I made the mistake of not doing that my first time and lost out on benefits.

The biggest delays happen when claims go into adjudication. This happens if there are questions about why you left your job, eligibility issues, or if your employer disputes the claim. If you get stuck in adjudication and can't reach anyone at Washington ESD by phone, there's actually a service called Claimyr that helps people get through to ESD agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Make sure you're ready to start looking for work immediately. Washington has work search requirements - you need to do at least 3 job search activities per week and keep a log. This includes applying for jobs, attending job fairs, networking, etc. They can audit this at any time.

ugh the whole system is so confusing!! I'm going through this right now and it's been 3 weeks since I filed and still nothing. My claim just says 'pending' with no explanation. I've called probably 50 times and either get busy signal or get disconnected after waiting on hold forever.

One thing to remember - your first payment might be delayed because of the waiting week. Washington doesn't have a waiting week anymore but processing still takes time. Most people see their first payment 2-3 weeks after filing if there are no issues.

I filed my claim online and it seemed pretty straightforward. The website walks you through everything. Just be prepared to wait - even with everything filed correctly, the system is slow. Don't panic if you don't hear anything for a couple weeks.

Don't forget you might need to register with WorkSource WA too, depending on your situation. They'll tell you if it's required when you file your claim.

Just want to emphasize again - file those weekly claims EVERY week even if you haven't been approved yet. You can't go back and claim weeks you missed filing for.

The Washington ESD website has a lot of good information if you poke around. There are FAQs and guides that explain most of the common questions. Definitely worth reading through before you file.

One more tip - keep good records of everything. Save confirmation numbers, print out important pages, keep track of dates. If anything goes wrong, you'll need this documentation.

If your employer contests your claim, be prepared for it to take longer. They have time to respond and it might go to adjudication. Just stay patient and keep filing your weekly claims.

Update on my situation - I finally got through to someone using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Turns out my claim was stuck because of some verification issue that wasn't showing up online. The agent was able to fix it in like 10 minutes. Wish I had known about this weeks ago!

Just remember the weekly claim filing deadline - you have to file by the end of the week for that week's benefits. If you miss the deadline, you might lose that week.

The whole process stressed me out so much when I first filed, but it's really not that complicated once you get started. The anxiety of not knowing is worse than actually doing it.

For benefit amount calculations, it's based on your highest earning quarter in your base period. Washington ESD will calculate this automatically, but you can get an estimate on their website if you want to know ahead of time.

Pro tip: if you're getting any severance pay, that might affect when your benefits start. Make sure to report it accurately when you file.

The most important thing is to file as soon as possible after losing your job. You can't backdate claims in most cases, so every day you wait is potentially lost benefits.

Just wanted to add - if you worked in multiple states recently, you might need to file in a different state depending on where you earned the most wages. Washington ESD can help figure this out if you're not sure.

The system has gotten better over the years but it's still not perfect. Be patient with the website - sometimes it's slow or has maintenance downtime.