How to know if you were approved for Washington ESD unemployment - checking claim status?

Thanks! I see the Claim Summary but it still just shows 'pending determination.' How long did yours take?

Mine took about 5 business days for a straightforward claim. If there are any issues like job separation questions, it could go to adjudication which takes longer.

So true about the phone situation. I spent hours trying to call them last month.

Actually, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you get through to Washington ESD agents when you can't reach them yourself. They have a system that calls for you and connects you when an agent is available. There's a demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ and their site is claimyr.com. Saved me so much frustration when I needed to check on my claim status.

That sounds interesting but is it legit? I don't want to give my info to some random service.

This is super helpful! I'll check for these specific things. What does it mean if it shows a weekly benefit amount but still says pending?

That usually means you're monetarily eligible but they might still be reviewing your job separation or other eligibility factors. The monetary determination comes first.

Yeah I had this exact situation - showed my benefit amount but stayed pending for another week while they verified my last employer info.

I feel you! The whole system seems designed to confuse people. Even when you do get approved, figuring out when you'll actually get paid is another mystery.

The system is definitely not user-friendly, but once you know what to look for it gets easier to navigate.

Good idea about the text alerts! I didn't even know that was an option. Where do you find that in the settings?

Go to 'Account Settings' then 'Communication Preferences' - you can choose email and/or text notifications for different types of updates.

Waiting week? What's that about?

Washington has a one-week waiting period before benefits start. So even if approved, your first payable week might not result in payment. It's confusing but normal.

Actually, the waiting week was suspended during COVID and I believe it's still suspended. You should get paid for your first eligible week now.

What triggers adjudication? I'm worried mine might go there.

Common reasons include job separation issues (if you quit or were fired), discrepancies in your work history, or if your former employer contests the claim.

If you do end up in adjudication and need to speak with someone at Washington ESD about it, definitely consider using Claimyr. Adjudication questions really need to be handled by talking to an actual person, and their service makes that so much easier than trying to call yourself.

Right? The anxiety is real when you're depending on this money. Hopefully we both hear something soon.

Hang in there both of you. The waiting is the worst part but most claims do get approved if you meet the basic requirements.

Wait, I can file weekly claims before being approved? I thought I had to wait.

Yes! You should file for every week you're unemployed, starting with your first week. The system will hold those claims until your initial claim is approved.

This is crucial advice. I've seen people lose weeks of benefits because they didn't realize they needed to keep filing weekly claims during the approval process.

The monetary determination letter tells you if you earned enough wages to qualify for benefits and what your weekly amount would be. You might still need a separate determination about your job separation before you're fully approved.

That makes sense! So I might get multiple letters before everything is finalized?

Exactly. Monetary eligibility first, then job separation determination if needed, then ongoing eligibility as you file weekly claims.

Tell me about it. When you're already stressed about being unemployed, the last thing you need is a confusing bureaucratic maze to navigate.

I hear you but honestly once you get through the initial approval process, the weekly claims are pretty straightforward. It's just that first part that's confusing.

How much does something like that cost though? I'm already tight on money.

I totally understand being budget-conscious right now. The value for me was avoiding weeks of uncertainty and stress. Check out their site at claimyr.com to see if it makes sense for your situation.

That's encouraging! What did the text notification say exactly?

It was something like 'Washington ESD: Your unemployment claim has been processed. Check your eServices account for details.' Pretty simple but it let me know to check my account.

That's great to hear! Did you have any issues or was it pretty smooth?

pretty smooth, just had to wait. no adjudication or anything complicated

I'm doing the same thing! It's become an obsession at this point.

Try to check just once a day, maybe in the morning. Constantly refreshing won't make it go faster and will just increase your anxiety.

I distracted myself by organizing all my job search materials and updating my resume. Staying productive helped with the waiting anxiety.

The weekly benefit amount should appear as soon as you're monetarily approved. If you see a specific dollar amount (not $0), that's likely your actual benefit amount.

Thanks! It's showing $287 so I guess that's probably my real amount then.

In my experience, most determinations are processed during business days. Weekend updates are rare but not impossible.

I got my notification on a Saturday actually, so it can happen. But weekdays are more common for sure.

Same here! I feel much better knowing what to look for and that other people are in the same situation.

Glad this was helpful. Remember, no news is usually good news with Washington ESD - if there were major issues, you'd typically hear about them quickly.

Smart advice! I learned this the hard way when some of my claim information disappeared from my account temporarily last year.

Great suggestion! I'll definitely do that once I get approved. Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice on this thread!