Suddenly disqualified for 2 weeks of UI benefits with no notice - need ESD direct contact
I'm at my wits end trying to get help with my husband's unemployment claim!! Everything was going smoothly - his claim was approved, he was filing weekly, and payments were coming through. Then OUT OF NOWHERE the last two weeks suddenly show "disqualified" status with ZERO explanation!! No letter, no message in eServices, nothing explaining why. We've called the regular ESD number like 20+ times but keep getting shuffled around in the automated system before being told "due to high call volume" blah blah and then disconnected. It's INFURIATING! Does anyone have a direct line to an actual HUMAN at ESD? Or some secret number that actually works? We need to figure out what happened and file an appeal if needed, but we can't even get that far without talking to someone. The mortgage is due next week and we were counting on those benefits. Any advice would save our sanity right now!! 🙏
18 comments
Join the conversation
Liam O'Sullivan
The exact same thing happened to me in January. After being approved and receiving benefits for 6 weeks, I suddenly got disqualified for two weeks with zero explanation. Turns out they flagged my claim because my former employer contested something about my work availability after initially not responding to ESD's inquiry. Check if there's anything in the "Decisions" or "Alerts" sections of your eServices account - sometimes the letters don't arrive but the information is buried somewhere in the portal. Also look for any questionnaires that might be pending completion, as missing those can trigger automatic disqualifications.
0 coins
Mei Liu
•Thanks for responding! I checked both the Decisions and Alerts sections and nothing new there. No pending questionnaires either. It's like the system just randomly decided to stop paying with zero explanation. Did you eventually get it resolved??
0 coins
Amara Chukwu
When a claim suddenly switches to "disqualified" without any notice, it's usually one of these issues: 1. Job search requirements not properly documented (needs 3 activities per week) 2. Employer contested separation reason or reported new information 3. Income verification discrepancy 4. Availability issue (did he report being unavailable for any days?) 5. System glitch (less common but does happen) I'd recommend checking all weekly claim details to see if anything was answered differently for those disqualified weeks. Even small differences in how questions are answered can trigger automatic disqualifications.
0 coins
Mei Liu
•We triple-checked his job search activities and made sure he reported all 3 each week with all the required details. And there weren't any changes to how he answered the weekly questions. That's why it's so frustrating - nothing changed on our end! Could his employer have contested something without us knowing about it?
0 coins
Giovanni Conti
Ughhh ESD is THE WORST!! Same exact garbage happened to my roommate and we never even found out why! Just magically started getting payments again after 3 weeks of nothing. No explanation, no backpay for the missed weeks, nada. The whole system is designed to frustrate people so much they give up on benefits they DESERVE. 😡
0 coins
Mei Liu
•That's exactly what it feels like! Like they're hoping we'll just give up and go away. We can't afford to miss these payments though, especially with no explanation. Did your roommate ever manage to talk to an actual person?
0 coins
Fatima Al-Hashimi
I went through something similar last month and finally got it fixed. I tried for 2 weeks using the regular number with no luck. Then I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an ESD agent in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works in their video: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 Turns out my issue was that my employer had submitted new information that triggered a review, but the letter explaining this got lost in the mail. The agent was able to tell me exactly what happened and what I needed to do. Saved me weeks of frustration.
0 coins
Mei Liu
•Thank you! I've never heard of Claimyr before - did you have to provide a lot of personal info to use it? At this point I'm willing to try anything that might actually get us through to a real person.
0 coins
Fatima Al-Hashimi
It was pretty straightforward. You just enter your phone number and they call you back when it's your turn in line to speak with ESD. Basically skips the busy signals and holds. I was skeptical at first but got desperate after two weeks of trying. The ESD agent I spoke with was actually really helpful once I finally got through.
0 coins
Giovanni Conti
•I tried that service too when I was helping my roommate. Worked ok but still took forever to get anything fixed because the ESD people themselves are so slow. Better than nothing tho I guess 🙄
0 coins
NeonNova
sometmes u can get thru if u call right when they open at 8am. i set my alarm for 7:55 and kept hitting redial until i got in the queue. still waited like 45 min but at least got thru. also did u check ur spam folder? my disqualification letter went there for some reason
0 coins
Mei Liu
•We've been trying the early morning call trick with no luck so far. I didn't think to check spam though! Just looked and nothing there either. It's like the disqualification happened without any system notification at all. So frustrating!
0 coins
Dylan Campbell
my sister works at WorkSource and she says a lot of times when this happens its bcuz the employer submitted something called a "fact-finding statement" after benefits started. ESD has to investigate when they get those even if they already approved you. check if maybe there was a letter sent to your old address or something?
0 coins
Amara Chukwu
•This is correct. Employer fact-finding responses can come in weeks after a claim is initially approved, and ESD is required by law to investigate them. If they contain contradictory information to what the claimant reported, benefits can be paused or disqualified pending adjudication. The problem is that the adjudication notices don't always get delivered properly, which leaves claimants in the dark about what's happening. Definitely worth checking that your mailing address is current in the ESD system.
0 coins
Sofia Hernandez
I had a very similar issue last month. After trying unsuccessfully to reach someone by phone for days, I went to my local WorkSource office in person. They couldn't directly fix my claim issues, but the staff member was able to submit an internal message to ESD on my behalf flagging my account for urgent review. Within 3 days, I received a call from an ESD adjudicator who explained the issue and helped resolve it. Might be worth trying if you live near a WorkSource office.
0 coins
Mei Liu
•That's a great idea! There's a WorkSource office about 30 minutes from us. If we still can't get through on the phone, we'll try going there in person. At this point we just need SOMEONE to tell us what's going on. I'll try Claimyr first thing tomorrow, and if that doesn't work, WorkSource is our next stop. Thank you all for the suggestions!
0 coins
Amara Chukwu
One last thing to try: check if there's a new "Questionnaire" or "Fact-finding" item in his eServices account. Sometimes these don't trigger notifications but have deadlines. If you find one, complete it ASAP and call to let them know it's done. Also, even if your benefits are currently disqualified, KEEP FILING the weekly claims without interruption. If the disqualification is reversed (which happens often when it's a system error or misunderstanding), you can only get back-payments for weeks you properly filed claims for.
0 coins
Mei Liu
•Yes, he's definitely continuing to file every week! We learned that lesson early on. I'll have him check for any hidden questionnaires again - the eServices site is so confusing with things buried in weird places. Really appreciate everyone's help with this!
0 coins