How to talk to a person at Washington ESD unemployment office - getting through?

4 hours?? That's insane. I thought my 2 hour holds were bad. This system is completely broken.

The phone system has been overwhelmed since the pandemic. Try calling at exactly 8:00 AM when they open - that's your best bet.

Thank you! I didn't know there were different numbers for different issues. I've been calling the main line this whole time.

That number didn't work for me either. Still got disconnected after 3 hours yesterday.

Is this legit? Sounds too good to be true. How much does it cost?

Yeah it's real, they don't ask for any personal info upfront and it's way cheaper than missing work to sit on hold all day. Much better than the alternative of never getting through.

I'm checking out that video now. At this point I'll try anything to get my claim resolved.

Multiple phones is smart! I never thought of that. Do you think they can tell if you're calling from different numbers?

They might be able to track it but I doubt they care. They're more focused on getting through their call queue than monitoring for multiple attempts.

For verification issues, you might need to upload documents through your SecureAccess Washington account instead of calling. Check your account for any pending actions.

already did that like 3 weeks ago and still nothing. the system just says pending review

3-4 hours?! That's a whole work day. How is this acceptable for a government service?

It's not acceptable but it's reality right now. The system is broken and they know it.

How does that work exactly? Do they call you back when they get through?

Yes exactly. You give them your info and they call ESD for you, then conference you in when they reach an agent. Much more efficient than doing it yourself.

Which app did you use? I'm willing to try anything at this point.

Auto Redial on Android worked for me. Not sure about iPhone options but there are probably similar apps.

Have you tried contacting your state representative's office? They sometimes have direct lines to ESD that can help with urgent cases.

I didn't know that was an option. I'll look up my representative today. Thank you!

The callback system is overwhelmed just like everything else. I think they have a 2-3 week backlog on callbacks currently.

2-3 weeks?! By then my situation will be resolved or I'll be homeless. This is insane.

I'm going to try this tomorrow morning. Setting my alarm for 7:55 AM and having everything ready.

did this work for you? im going to try the same thing on wednesday

That doesn't make sense technically. Phone queues reset when offices close and reopen.

maybe not but desperate times call for desperate measures lol

That's great news! I'm definitely going to try them. How did they resolve your adjudication issue?

Turns out they needed additional documentation that was never requested through my online account. The agent was able to tell me exactly what to upload and my payments were released within 3 days.

Totally agree. The technology is there, they just haven't invested in upgrading their infrastructure.

Write to your representatives about this. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

That's actually a good strategy. Mid-morning calls (10-11 AM) tend to have shorter wait times than opening or closing hours.

I've tried that too but still waiting 2-3 hours minimum. It's exhausting.

That's encouraging to hear. I was starting to think even the agents wouldn't be able to help.

Same experience here. The one time I got through, the agent was super helpful and fixed my issue in 10 minutes. Getting through is the hard part.

I didn't know this was possible. Where do I find the nearest WorkSource office?

Go to worksourcewa.com and use their office locator. Call ahead to make sure they're open and can help with your specific issue.

Okay I'm convinced. Going to try Claimyr tomorrow. This thread has been incredibly helpful, thank you everyone!

Same here. Following up on this thread in a few days to share my results with whatever method works.

Just wanted to jump in as someone new to this community - I've been lurking and reading everyone's experiences. My claim has been stuck for about 3 weeks now and I was getting really discouraged, but seeing all these success stories with Claimyr is giving me hope. Planning to give them a try this week. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here, it's helping more people than you probably realize!

Welcome to the community Miguel! I totally understand that discouragement - I was at my breaking point before finding this thread. It's amazing how sharing these experiences can help so many people who are stuck in the same frustrating situation. Definitely give Claimyr a shot and let us know how it goes. We're all in this together trying to navigate this broken system!

Thanks Vincent! This community has been such a lifesaver. I've been dealing with my own adjudication nightmare for about a month now - tried calling every day for two weeks straight with no luck. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both validating (knowing I'm not alone in this) and helpful with actual solutions. The Claimyr service keeps getting mentioned and honestly at this point I'm ready to try anything. Going to check out that demo video that was mentioned earlier. Really grateful to have found this thread!

I'm new to this community too and just wanted to say how helpful this entire discussion has been! I've been struggling with my unemployment claim for about 5 weeks now - constant busy signals, endless hold times, and zero progress. Reading through everyone's strategies and seeing the success stories with Claimyr is honestly the first hope I've had in weeks. It's really reassuring to know there are actual solutions out there and that I'm not going crazy dealing with this system. Planning to try the Claimyr service first thing tomorrow morning. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it means more than you know to those of us who are stuck!