Need help reactivating my ESD unemployment claim after PFML - do I go through adjudication again?
I'm currently on Paid Family Medical Leave that's ending soon (March 23rd), and I have a question about reactivating my previously approved unemployment claim. Here's my situation: I was let go from my job while pregnant last year. I applied for both unemployment and PFML at the same time. My PFML got approved quickly, but my unemployment claim took forever because I was in adjudication (since I was terminated). Eventually, my unemployment claim was approved, but it immediately went inactive because I only filed for one week, which ended up being my waiting week, before my PFML kicked in. Now my PFML is ending in 3 weeks, and I need to switch back to unemployment. I'm confused about the process: 1. Will I have to go through the entire adjudication process again even though I was already approved? 2. When exactly should I reactivate my claim? My last PFML claim week ends on the 23rd, so should I reopen unemployment the Sunday after that? 3. Is the reactivation process complicated or pretty straightforward? I'm really anxious about having another long gap between benefits. Any advice from someone who's been through this PFML-to-UI transition would be super helpful!
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Demi Lagos
I went through something similar after my maternity leave ended. You don't have to go through adjudication again because you were already approved! Just reopen your claim the Sunday after your last PFML week. So if your last PFML day is the 23rd, reopen on the 26th. The reactivation is pretty simple - just select "reopen claim" on eServices and answer the questions.
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
•That's such a relief to hear! I was stressing about going through another long adjudication period. Did you have any gap in payments when you switched from PFML back to unemployment?
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Mason Lopez
WRONG INFO ABOVE!! I just went thru this exact situation and u DO have to go thru adjudication again even if u were approved b4!!! ESD makes u do EVERYTHING over again if ur claim went inactive. took me 6 weeks to get my first payment and I almost got evicted. The system is completely broken!!!!!
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Demi Lagos
•That doesn't sound right. Did you have any changes in your circumstances? When I reopened mine, there was no adjudication since nothing had changed from my original claim. Maybe you had a different issue on your claim?
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Mason Lopez
•no changes! same everything! the ESD agent literally told me "system automatically puts reopened claims into adjudication for review" and there was nothing they could do to speed it up. maybe we had different agents or different situations but this was my experience in Jan 2025
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Vera Visnjic
I can help clarify this. Technically, both scenarios can happen depending on your specific situation. When reopening a claim after inactivity: 1. If nothing has changed in your circumstances (reason for separation, availability for work, etc.), then typically there is NO new adjudication needed. You'll just reactivate and continue claiming. 2. However, if your claim has been inactive for a long period (usually more than 4 weeks), OR if there have been any changes to your work situation since the claim was approved, the system may flag it for review, which can trigger a new adjudication. Since your claim was only inactive because you moved to PFML and you were already approved based on the same job separation, you should be able to reopen without a new adjudication period. But prepare for either scenario. Reopen your claim on the Sunday after your PFML ends. Make sure you have documentation ready showing your PFML end date in case they ask for verification.
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
•Thank you for the detailed explanation! My claim has been inactive for about 7 months while I've been on PFML, so I guess there's a chance it could get flagged for review. I'll prepare for that possibility but hope for the best.
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Jake Sinclair
One thing that might help - make sure you check the "monetary balance" on your claim once you reopen it. If it shows you still have benefits available from your original claim, that's a good sign. Also, when you reopen, be very clear in the comments section that you're returning from PFML and were previously approved for benefits with no changes to your situation. That might help prevent unnecessary review.
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
•That's a great tip about adding a note in the comments section! I'll definitely do that. I hadn't thought about checking my monetary balance either.
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Brielle Johnson
i had the exact same thing happen to me and i couldnt get anyone on the phone for weeks!! i kept calling that stupid 8667 number and the automated system would just hang up on me every time saying "high call volume" blah blah. finally i found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual ESD person in less than an hour. they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 the agent i talked to was able to look at my claim and tell me exactly what was happening and what i needed to do. saved me SO much anxiety not having to guess what was going on!
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
•This is really helpful, thank you! I'll keep this in mind if I run into issues getting through to ESD. I'm hoping the reactivation will be smooth, but it's good to have a backup plan if I need to speak to someone directly.
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Honorah King
•Does that service actually work? Sounds too good to be true with how impossible ESD is to reach...
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Brielle Johnson
•Yeah it worked for me! I was skeptical too but I was desperate. Got connected to ESD in about 45 min when I had been trying for weeks on my own.
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Oliver Brown
Make sure you also do your job search activities starting the week you reopen! Big mistake I made was thinking I didn't need to do them right away when reactivating and got disqualified for a week because of it. You need 3 job search activities each week as soon as you reopen.
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
•Oh that's a really important point, thanks for the warning! I'll make sure to start my job search activities right away when I reopen. Would hate to miss out on a week of benefits over that mistake.
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Mary Bates
just want to say that i'm in almost the exact same situation right now except with a workplace injury instead of pregnancy. its so frustrating how these different benefit systems don't talk to each other better! good luck with your claim!
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
•Thanks! And you're right, it would be so much easier if these systems were better integrated. Good luck with your situation too!
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Honorah King
Did you get your waiting week paid? When COVID started they were paying the waiting week but I think they stopped doing that. Just wondering if you'll have to do another waiting week or if the original one counts.
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Vera Visnjic
•Good question. The waiting week only applies once per benefit year. Since OP already served their waiting week before going on PFML, they won't need to serve another one when reopening, assuming it's still within the same benefit year (typically 52 weeks from when you first filed).
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
•That's a relief to hear! Yes, I'll still be in the same benefit year when I reopen.
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