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Cass Green

How to request waiting week unemployment benefits in Washington ESD

I'm trying to figure out how to request my waiting week payment from Washington ESD. I know they eliminated the waiting week requirement but I'm confused about how to actually get that first week paid out. My claim started in September and I never got paid for that initial week. Do I need to submit a special request or does it happen automatically? Has anyone dealt with this recently?

The waiting week elimination is automatic in most cases. You don't need to request it separately - Washington ESD should retroactively pay that first week once your claim is processed. Check your payment history in your online account to see if it shows up there.

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Cass Green

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I've been checking but still don't see it. My claim was approved in October but that first week is still missing from my payment history.

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That's weird. It should have been included automatically when they processed your claim approval.

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Madison Tipne

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same thing happened to me last year, took forever to get through to someone at washington esd to ask about it

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Cass Green

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How did you finally reach them? I've been trying to call for weeks but can't get through.

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I had the same problem with getting through to Washington ESD. I ended up using Claimyr to help me reach an agent - they have this system that calls for you and connects you when someone picks up. Here's their site: claimyr.com. They also have a demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ

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Malia Ponder

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Washington eliminated the waiting week in July 2023, so any claims filed after that date should automatically include payment for the first week. If your claim started in September 2024, you shouldn't have a waiting week at all. The payment should appear in your regular weekly claim cycle.

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Cass Green

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That's what I thought too, but there's definitely a gap in my payments. Week 1 shows as unpaid in my account.

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Malia Ponder

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That suggests there might be an issue with your claim processing. You'll need to contact Washington ESD directly to have them review your payment history.

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Kyle Wallace

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This is exactly why I hate dealing with unemployment stuff. The system never works right and then you can't reach anyone to fix it.

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Ryder Ross

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Check if you had any eligibility issues during that first week. Sometimes if there was a problem with job search requirements or work availability during the initial week, it won't get paid even without the waiting week requirement.

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Cass Green

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I was definitely available and looking for work. Filed everything correctly as far as I know.

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Ryder Ross

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Then it's probably just a system glitch. Washington ESD has been having lots of payment processing issues lately.

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I went through this exact same thing! My first week showed as unpaid for months. Turns out there was some kind of technical error in their system. Once I got connected to an agent, they fixed it within a few days and I got backpay for that week.

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Cass Green

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How long did it take you to reach an agent? I'm getting desperate here.

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I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned above. Took about 2 days for them to connect me with Washington ESD. Worth every penny to avoid sitting on hold for hours.

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Henry Delgado

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Is that service legit? Sounds too good to be true.

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For anyone skeptical about Claimyr - I was too at first, but it really works. They don't need your personal info or anything sketchy. You just give them your callback number and they handle getting through Washington ESD's phone system. Much better than wasting entire days trying to call yourself.

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Henry Delgado

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Okay that makes me feel better about it. Might give it a try.

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Cass Green

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Thanks for explaining how it works. I'm going to check out that demo video.

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Olivia Kay

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just wanted to add - make sure you're looking at the right dates in your payment history. sometimes the way washington esd displays the weeks can be confusing

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Cass Green

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Good point. I'll double check the dates to make sure I'm not missing something obvious.

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Joshua Hellan

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Yeah their online system layout is terrible. Half the time I can't figure out what I'm looking at.

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Jibriel Kohn

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This happened to my brother too. He had to call Washington ESD and specifically ask them to review his waiting week payment. They found the error and issued the payment within a week. The key is getting through to someone who can actually look at your account.

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Cass Green

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That's encouraging. I just need to figure out how to actually reach someone there.

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Jibriel Kohn

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He said he called first thing in the morning and got through after about 45 minutes on hold. But that was last year - might be harder now.

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Before you call, make sure you have all your documentation ready. They'll want to see your claim start date, weekly claim history, and any correspondence you've received from Washington ESD about your claim status.

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Cass Green

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Good advice. I'll gather everything before I try to reach them.

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Also screenshot your payment history page so you can reference the specific weeks that are missing.

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James Johnson

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Update: I finally got through to Washington ESD using that Claimyr thing. The agent found the problem immediately - there was a flag on my account that was preventing the first week from being paid. She removed it and said I should see the payment in 3-5 business days. Super relieved!

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Cass Green

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That's awesome! Gives me hope that mine can be fixed too. How long did Claimyr take to connect you?

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James Johnson

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Less than 2 days. They called me back when they had Washington ESD on the line. So much easier than trying to call myself.

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What kind of flag was on your account? I'm wondering if I might have the same issue.

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Mia Green

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For anyone still dealing with this - don't wait too long to address it. There might be time limits on requesting retroactive payments, even for waiting week issues.

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Cass Green

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That's a good point. I better get on this soon.

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Emma Bianchi

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I think you have up to a year to request back payments, but don't quote me on that.

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This thread convinced me to check my own payment history. Sure enough, I'm missing my first week too! Guess I'll be trying that Claimyr service as well.

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Same here! I never even realized I was missing that first week payment.

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Cass Green

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Glad this helped other people figure it out too. Hopefully we can all get this resolved soon.

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