Stuck in ESD adjudication for 4+ weeks with pregnant wife & family - no response from anyone!

I went through this exact situation last fall. The adjudication process is where they verify the reason for your separation from employment, and unfortunately, it can take 4-6 weeks even when there aren't any issues. The system is truly broken. Here's what finally worked for me: 1. Contact your state representative's office. They have special channels to ESD and can often get movement on stalled claims. Google "[your county] WA state representative" and email or call their office explaining your hardship situation. 2. Make sure you've uploaded all possible documentation related to your separation in the document upload section, even if they haven't specifically requested it. 3. Check if you have any alerts in your eServices account that might not be obvious - sometimes there are questions pending that don't trigger notifications. Don't give up on the weekly claims! When it finally processes, you'll get paid for all those weeks at once.

I was in adjudication for 7 WEEKS last year and it was absolute hell. The system is designed to be impossible to contact anyone. Have you tried the trick where you call and instead of selecting unemployment options, you choose the employer option? Sometimes that gets you through to an actual person who can then transfer you.

I finally got through to ESD last month using Claimyr after weeks of trying the regular number. It's a service that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of frustration! I watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3) and was skeptical but it actually worked. You can check them out at claimyr.com - totally worth it when you're desperate to talk to a real person at ESD.

ESD adjudication specialist here. This wait time is unfortunately common right now. Adjudication is where we investigate the circumstances of your job separation to determine eligibility. While I can't speak to your specific case, some things that can help: 1. Make sure you answer your phone even if you don't recognize the number. Adjudicators often call from blocked numbers, and we generally only try twice before sending the case back to the queue. 2. Double-check that your contact information is current in the system. 3. If you're experiencing extreme hardship (which it sounds like you are), there's a hardship expedition request you can submit. This won't guarantee immediate processing but can move you up in the queue. You have to specifically request this through the message portal with "HARDSHIP REQUEST" in the subject line. 4. Sometimes adjudication gets stuck when we're waiting on information from your former employer. If they don't respond, we continue after a certain period, but it adds time. Keep filing weekly claims as you've been doing, and all eligible weeks will be paid once adjudication completes.

have u tried working agency jobs while waiting? i did that during my adjudacation period and it helped with bills. just remeber to report any earnings on ur weekly claims. temp jobs don't affect ur unemployment eligibility as long as its temporary work.

Quick update on my earlier comment - I forgot to mention that WorkSource offices can sometimes help escalate adjudication issues. They don't have direct access to your claim details, but they have internal communication channels with ESD that regular claimants don't. If you can visit a physical WorkSource location, bring your claim ID and ask if they can help check on the status of your adjudication. Sometimes they can spot issues or expedite things.

Just wanted to say I'm really sorry you and your family are going through this. The system is absolutely broken, and it's infuriating that there's no clear communication during adjudication. Have you looked into emergency assistance programs while you wait? Most counties have emergency rental assistance and food banks that don't have the same wait times as ESD.

I just went thru this nightmare!!!! What finally worked for me was emailing my state senator AND representative on the same day explaining my hardship (I was about to be evicted). Got a call from ESD within 48 hours after WEEKS of nothing!!! The lady said my claim was just sitting there basically waiting to be assigned to an adjudicator. So frustrating!!! They backdated everything once it was approved though. Hang in there and DEFINITELY contact your elected officials!!!