How to get your unemployment money from Washington ESD - claim processing delays

Thanks, that's somewhat reassuring. I was laid off from a restaurant job so nothing complicated there. Should I be worried that it's taking this long?

Restaurant layoffs are usually straightforward, so you should be fine. The delay is likely just volume - Washington ESD is still dealing with higher claim numbers than pre-2020.

Really? How does that work exactly? I'm getting desperate here, bills are piling up.

You just go to claimyr.com and they handle the calling for you. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Way better than spending hours on hold yourself.

That actually sounds helpful. I've been trying to reach Washington ESD for two weeks about my own claim issue and getting nowhere.

I've been checking correspondence daily, nothing new there. I am doing my job searches through WorkSourceWA like they said. Maybe I should double-check those entries.

Yeah definitely review those. And make sure you're answering all the weekly claim questions correctly - sometimes people accidentally say 'yes' to working when they mean 'no' and it flags the whole claim.

5 weeks?! That's terrible. What reason are they giving you for the delay?

they said something about adjudication but wont tell me what exactly needs to be adjudicated. so frustrating

If it's been 5 weeks in adjudication, you should definitely escalate this. That's longer than the typical review period.

Wait, employers can contest claims? I had no idea. How do you find out if that happened?

Yeah, they have 10 days to respond after you file. Usually Washington ESD sends you a notice if there's a contest, but mail gets lost sometimes. An agent can tell you immediately if you can get through to one.

I tried that twice but still got busy signals. Maybe I need to be faster with the redial.

Yeah you have to redial immediately, like within seconds. I use auto-redial apps on my phone to help.

That's exactly why I used Claimyr instead - they handle all that automated redialing so you don't have to sit there doing it manually for hours.

I did the tutorial when I first filed. Bank info looks right but I'll double-check the routing number.

Good idea. Also check if your bank accepts ACH transfers from government agencies - some smaller banks or credit unions have restrictions.

6 weeks of backpay sounds nice but I need money now for groceries and rent. Did you find any way to speed up the process?

Not really, just had to wait it out. Though I did hear about people using that calling service to actually talk to someone and get answers faster.

I'm pretty sure I got the date right but now you're making me second-guess myself. Is there a way to check what my employer reported?

An Washington ESD agent can see both sides of the information, but you'd need to get through to someone first. That's probably the fastest way to identify any discrepancies.

It's somewhat comforting to know others are going through this too, but doesn't help with the bills. Have you tried any of the suggestions people mentioned here?

I'm going to try that Claimyr thing next. Can't hurt at this point and I'm tired of getting nowhere with regular calling.

Oh I didn't know about text notifications! Going to set that up right now.

Yeah it's under account preferences. Helps you stay on top of any changes without constantly checking the website.

Really? I didn't know legislators could help with unemployment claims. How does that work?

They have constituent services that can make inquiries on your behalf. It's not guaranteed but sometimes agencies respond faster to official inquiries.

That's good to know as a backup option, though hopefully it doesn't come to that for the OP.

Yeah I've been filing every Sunday religiously. That would be devastating to have to start over after all this waiting.

Exactly. The weekly claims keep your place in line basically. Miss too many and they assume you don't need the benefits anymore.

I've looked through everything I can find in eServices but maybe I'm missing something. The main claim status just says 'processing' with no details.

If there's nothing obvious in the online account, then you really do need to talk to an agent to find out what's holding things up.

That's helpful context from the employer perspective. Do you know if there's anything employers can do to help speed up their former employees' claims?

Not really once the claim is filed. We respond to any requests for information quickly, but after that it's all on Washington ESD's processing timeline.

Let me know how it goes! I'm considering it myself at this point.

Will do. Definitely beats spending whole days trying to get through on my own.

I check correspondence every day but haven't seen any determination letters. Should I be worried if I don't see any?

Not necessarily - if your claim is still processing normally you might not have any determinations yet. But it's good to stay on top of checking.

How do I find out if there are issues that need my attention if I can't get through to anyone?

That's the catch-22 with Washington ESD right now. You need to talk to someone but can't get through. That's why people are using services like that Claimyr thing.

I've been really careful with those questions but now I'm paranoid I made a mistake somewhere. Is there a way to see your previous answers?

You can see some of your previous weekly claim info in eServices, but not all the detailed answers. An agent could review it with you though.

Thanks for the encouragement. It's hard to stay patient when bills are due, but sounds like persistence is key.

Definitely. And don't hesitate to use any resources that can help you actually talk to someone at Washington ESD - that seems to be the fastest way to resolve delays.