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Military spouse PCS unemployment approval taking forever - 5 weeks in adjudication with no updates

Has anyone here successfully filed for unemployment as a military spouse who had to quit due to a PCS move? My husband got orders to JBLM and I had to leave my job of 3 years. I submitted my claim 5 weeks ago with all documentation (PCS orders, marriage certificate, letter from my employer confirming I quit due to military relocation) but my claim is still stuck in 'adjudication in progress' status. I've called ESD 27 times this week alone and either get disconnected or told someone will call me back (nobody has). I'm seriously stressing about bills since we just moved into a place off-base with higher rent than we budgeted for. Any other mil spouses gone through this process with WA ESD? How long did your approval take? Did they give you trouble about proving the move was the reason you left your job?

I went through this exact process last year when we PCS'd to Fairchild. Military spouse claims are actually given priority in the system, but they're still subject to the standard verification process. My claim took exactly 3 weeks for approval, but that was during a slower period (September). Make sure your separation letter from your employer specifically states you left 'due to military spouse relocation' - that exact wording helps a lot. Also, double-check your eServices account to see if there are any pending questionnaires or information requests you might have missed. Sometimes they need additional verification but the notification gets filtered to spam.

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Thanks for responding! My separation letter does use that exact wording, so that's good. I've been checking eServices obsessively and there are no pending items or questionnaires showing up. I'm just stuck in this weird limbo. Did they interview you or your previous employer during the process?

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Military spouse here who PCS'd to JBLM in January! My claim sat in adjudication for 6 WEEKS before approval. It's honestly ridiculous how long they take considering we're supposed to get priority processing. The thing that finally moved my claim forward was having my husband's command write a letter confirming the PCS was mandatory. Have you submitted that document? I know it's not on their official required list but it seemed to help in my case.

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I didn't submit anything from his command, just the official PCS orders. That's a great idea though - I'll ask his unit admin if they can provide something like that. Did you have to upload it as 'other documentation' or was there a specific category for it?

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not a military spouse but i've been thru the ESD system 3 times. they're STILL using covid-era backlogged systems even tho the pandemic is long over. my civilian claim took 8 weeks in 'adjudication' this year for no reason they could explain when i finally got approved. its not just u!!

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8 weeks?! Ugh, that's awful. I was really counting on this being faster since we had to break our lease at the last place and the relocation expenses were higher than expected. It's frustrating that they're still so backlogged!

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Military spouse unemployment claims fall under RCW 50.20.050(2)(b)(iii) which provides a specific allowance for quitting work to relocate with a spouse in military service. This should be a relatively straightforward approval once they verify your documentation. However, ESD is notoriously difficult to reach by phone these days. If you're desperate to get through, I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that helps you bypass the phone queues and actually get through to an ESD agent. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 I've helped several clients use it when they were in similar situations with long adjudication periods. Often just getting through to someone who can look at your claim can speed things up considerably.

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Thank you for the legal reference - that's helpful! I hadn't heard of Claimyr before but I'm getting desperate enough to try anything at this point. Did your clients find that talking to an actual person helped move their claims forward faster?

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I PCSd from Lewis to Hood last yr and my TX claim took 2 weeks. My friend who moved TO Washington said ESD was a nightmare and took almost 8 wks to get approved even with all the right docs. Something about WA state being extra strict with military spouse claims even tho the law says we qualify. Hang in there!!

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This is true!! Washington is WAY stricter than other states I've dealt with (we've been stationed in 3 states). They actually called my former employer and did a whole interview about why I left. My TX claim was approved in days, WA took forever.

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Something people don't realize is that they need to keep filing their weekly claims EVEN WHILE in adjudication status! Are you doing that? If you miss even one weekly claim filing, your whole claim can go into a different status that takes even longer to resolve. Also, I used Claimyr when my claim was stuck for 9 weeks. Got through to ESD in about 20 minutes instead of trying for days. The agent saw that my claim was just sitting there with all documentation verified but nobody had pushed it to the next stage. Got my approval 2 days later and all backpay. Worth considering if you're hitting a wall with regular contact methods.

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Yes, I've been religiously filing my weekly claims! I know that missing those can mess everything up. That's good to know about your experience with Claimyr - I'm definitely considering it now. Did the agent tell you why your claim was just sitting there? I'm wondering if that's what's happening with mine too.

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Does anyone know if ESD ever DENIES military spouse claims? I've been waiting 4 weeks now (though not as long as OP) and getting nervous. The law seems clear but I'm worried they'll find some technicality to deny me.

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They rarely deny military spouse claims when properly documented. The most common reasons for denial are: 1) Quitting job too early (more than 30 days before actual move date), 2) Not providing proper documentation linking the military orders to your separation, or 3) Having some other separation issue (like a performance problem) that the employer reports as the real reason for separation. If you've addressed all those, you should be fine - it's just the waiting game.

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Update on my earlier comment - I checked with a client who was in this exact situation last month. She said after using Claimyr to reach ESD, she discovered her claim was actually complete but stuck in a review queue. The agent was able to move it to the next stage immediately, and she received approval within 3 business days. The agent told her that military spouse claims sometimes get flagged for extra verification if the previous employer is out of state, which can cause these delays. Might be worth checking if this applies to your situation as well.

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That definitely applies to me! My previous employer is in California. I think I'm going to try the Claimyr route tomorrow and see if I can finally get some answers. It's so frustrating that these claims get stuck when the documentation is all there. Thank you for this additional information!

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Any updates? Did you make any progress with your claim? I'm curious because I have a friend PCSing to JBLM next month and I want to give her realistic expectations.

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Yes! Finally got through using Claimyr yesterday. Turns out my claim was actually approved 2 weeks ago but got stuck in their payment processing system because they needed to verify my new Washington address (I still had my California ID when I applied). The agent pushed it through and I should see all my backpay next week. So relieved! Tell your friend to make sure she has a WA ID or at least utility bills in her name at her new address to avoid the same delay.

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