Walmart fighting my Washington ESD unemployment claim - how often does this happen?

I kept all my paperwork including the WARN notice they gave us. Should I submit that to Washington ESD now or wait for them to ask?

Submit it now through your SecureAccess Washington account. The more documentation you provide upfront, the faster the adjudication process usually goes.

6 weeks?? I can't afford to wait that long. Did you have any luck reaching someone at Washington ESD to speed things up?

I tried calling for weeks but could never get through. The phone system is a nightmare.

Never heard of this - is it legit? I'm desperate at this point.

Yeah it's real. Check out claimyr.com - they basically call Washington ESD for you and get you connected to an actual person. Saved me weeks of frustration.

How much does something like that cost though? I'm already broke from being unemployed.

That's so messed up. These companies make billions and they're fighting over a few hundred dollars in unemployment.

It adds up when you multiply it across thousands of employees. A 1% increase in UI tax rate can cost a company like Walmart millions annually.

Store closure and they still fought it? That's insane. Did she have to go to a hearing?

yeah she did. had to take a whole day off from her new job to deal with it. thankfully the judge saw right through walmarts bs

That's a good point about the severance. I have the paperwork showing it was a 'reduction in force' layoff.

Make sure to keep filing your weekly claims even during adjudication. If you win, you'll get back pay for all the weeks you were eligible.

Small companies can be just as bad. My old boss at a local restaurant fought my claim tooth and nail out of pure spite.

True, but at least they don't have a whole department dedicated to screwing over former employees.

I'm seriously considering it. This waiting game is killing me financially.

I'm skeptical of paying for something that should be free, but if it actually works...

I have most of that stuff. Should I also include my final paycheck stub that shows the severance payment?

Absolutely. That proves it was a layoff situation, not termination for cause.

How long did your adjudication take? I'm going on 3 weeks now.

mine took about 7 weeks total. but this was during covid so things might be faster now

2 months?? How are you surviving financially?

Barely. Had to move back in with my parents and pick up some gig work. This system is broken.

Should I consider getting a lawyer involved or is that overkill for an unemployment claim?

For a standard adjudication, probably not necessary. If it goes to appeal and you have complex circumstances, then maybe consider it.

That's so predatory. Taking advantage of people who are already in a tough spot.

Yep, they're counting on people giving up or not knowing their rights.

Alright, you've convinced me. I'm going to check out their website tonight.

Let us know how it goes if you end up using them.

That's somewhat reassuring. I just wish the process was faster.

Yeah, the waiting is the worst part. Try to stay positive and keep documenting everything.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm not giving up, just frustrated with the whole process.

Totally understandable. The system is designed to be frustrating. Don't let them wear you down.

Will do! Hopefully I'll have good news to share soon.

Fingers crossed for both of us. This whole process is such a nightmare.

It's disgusting how they treat employees even after they're gone.

That's why documentation is so important. You have to be ready to fight back with facts.

Good to know I'm not alone in this. Did your friend have to do anything special to win his case?

He just kept submitting documentation and stayed persistent. Eventually Washington ESD ruled in his favor.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to keep fighting this and not let them push me around.

That's the spirit! You've got this. Just be patient with the process and don't give up.

That's really helpful to know about Target doing the same thing. It makes me feel less like I'm being personally targeted. I'm definitely going to submit all my documentation tonight - I have the WARN notice, severance agreement, and my final pay stub showing the severance payment. It's just so stressful not knowing when this will be resolved, especially with bills piling up. Did you have to do anything else during the adjudication process or just wait it out?

@Camila Castillo For the most part I just had to wait it out, but I did call Washington ESD a couple times to check on the status. The phone system is absolutely terrible though - I probably spent 20+ hours on hold over several weeks trying to get through to someone. That s'actually why I ended up trying Claimyr like Dylan mentioned above. It was worth the cost just to avoid the phone nightmare. During adjudication I also made sure to respond promptly to any requests for additional information. They asked me to clarify a few dates and provide some extra documentation about the store closure timeline. The whole process took about 8 weeks but I got approved and received all the back pay. Your situation sounds even more straightforward than mine was since you have the severance paperwork - that s'basically proof positive it was a layoff and not termination for cause.

@Javier Gomez Thanks for sharing your experience - 8 weeks sounds about average from what everyone s'saying. I m'definitely going to look into Claimyr since multiple people have mentioned it here. The phone system has been impossible so far. Quick question - when you submitted your additional documentation during adjudication, did you upload it through the SecureAccess portal or did you have to mail/fax it? I want to make sure I m'doing this the most efficient way possible. Also really appreciate you mentioning the back pay - that gives me hope that even though this is dragging out, I won t'lose out on benefits if I win.

@Javier Gomez That s'really reassuring to hear, thank you! Eight weeks feels like forever when you re'broke, but knowing there s'light at the end of the tunnel helps. I m'definitely going to look into Claimyr too - I ve'been dreading trying to call Washington ESD because I ve'heard horror stories about the wait times. It sounds like having that severance documentation really does make a difference. I m'feeling more confident about this now, even though it s'still frustrating that Walmart is putting me through this in the first place. Thanks for sharing your experience - it really helps to know I m'not alone in dealing with this kind of corporate nonsense.

@Javier Gomez Thanks so much for sharing your experience - 8 weeks sounds brutal but at least you got the back pay in the end. I m'definitely going to look into Claimyr since everyone keeps mentioning it. The phone system really is impossible. I tried calling Washington ESD yesterday and gave up after 2 hours on hold. It s'reassuring to hear that having the severance paperwork makes my case stronger. I just submitted everything through SecureAccess tonight including the WARN notice, severance agreement, and pay stubs. Hopefully that speeds things up a bit. Did you have to deal with any pushback from Target s'lawyers during the process or did they just contest it initially and then stay quiet?

@Javier Gomez Thank you so much for sharing your experience - that really helps put things in perspective! 8 weeks feels like forever when you re'stressed about money, but knowing there s'light at the end of the tunnel makes it easier. I m'definitely going to submit all my paperwork tonight and look into that Claimyr service if I need to contact Washington ESD directly. It s'crazy that we have to pay extra just to get through to the agency that s'supposed to help us, but if it works it works. Really appreciate everyone s'advice and support on this thread - makes me feel less alone in dealing with this corporate BS from Walmart.

@Javier Gomez That s'really reassuring to hear, thank you! 8 weeks feels like forever when you re'stressed about money, but at least there s'light at the end of the tunnel. I m'definitely going to look into Claimyr too - I ve'seen Dylan mention it a few times and if it can save me from sitting on hold for hours, it might be worth it. The phone system really is awful. I tried calling Washington ESD yesterday and gave up after 2 hours of being stuck in the queue. It s'good to know that having the severance documentation puts me in a strong position. I was starting to worry that Walmart s'legal team would somehow find a way to twist the facts, but it sounds like Washington ESD actually does their job properly during adjudication.

@Javier Gomez Thanks for sharing your experience - 8 weeks feels like forever when you re'living paycheck to paycheck, but it s'good to know there s'light at the end of the tunnel. I m'definitely going to look into that Claimyr service Dylan mentioned since the phone system sounds like a nightmare. It s'crazy that we have to pay a third party just to talk to our own state agency, but if it saves weeks of frustration it might be worth it. I m'feeling more confident about my case now knowing that others have been through similar situations with big retailers and won. The severance documentation should really help my case since like you said, they don t'give severance to people they fire for cause.

@Javier Gomez Thanks so much for sharing your experience - 8 weeks feels like forever but at least there s'light at the end of the tunnel. I m'definitely going to look into Claimyr since everyone here seems to have had good luck with it. The phone system really is impossible to navigate. I tried calling yesterday and gave up after 2 hours on hold. It s'reassuring to know that having the severance documentation puts me in a strong position. I ll'make sure to respond quickly to any requests for additional info from Washington ESD. Did you end up having to go to a hearing or did they make the decision just based on the paperwork you submitted?

This is really reassuring to hear from someone who went through the same thing with another big retailer. I'm dealing with a very similar situation - got laid off from a distribution center and they're claiming it was termination for cause even though I have all the layoff documentation. The waiting is the hardest part, especially when you're already stressed about finances. I think I'm going to look into that Claimyr service too since everyone seems to have had good luck with it. Thanks for sharing your experience - it gives me hope that this will work out eventually.

@Mary Bates I totally understand the financial stress - I m'going through the exact same thing right now. It s'such a relief to hear from people who actually made it through this process successfully. I ve'been hesitant about paying for a service like Claimyr when money is already tight, but if it can save weeks of trying to get through on the phone, it might be worth it. Did you end up having to go to a hearing or did they approve your claim during the initial adjudication? I m'hoping mine gets resolved quickly since the documentation seems pretty clear-cut, but you never know with these big companies and their legal teams.

This is exactly what I needed to hear! It's so frustrating that they contest claims even for obvious layoffs like store closures. I'm glad you stuck with it and got your back pay. I have very similar documentation - the WARN notice, severance paperwork, and my final pay stub showing the severance payment. It's encouraging to know that 6 weeks seems to be pretty typical for the adjudication process. I'm definitely not giving up, but the financial stress while waiting is really tough. Did you have any luck getting updates on your case status during those 6 weeks, or did you just have to wait for the final decision?

@Rebecca Johnston I tried calling Washington ESD a few times during those 6 weeks but honestly their phone system is a nightmare - I think I got through to an actual person maybe once out of like 15 attempts. The one time I did get through, the agent just told me my case was in "review and" they couldn t'give me a timeline. It s'really frustrating because you re'basically in limbo not knowing when you ll'hear anything. I mostly just had to wait it out and keep checking my SecureAccess account for updates. The good news is that when they finally made the decision, they processed everything pretty quickly and I had the back pay deposited within a few days. Hang in there - I know the waiting sucks but with your documentation you should be in good shape.

I'm in almost the exact same situation - got laid off from Walmart distribution in Puyallup and they're fighting my claim too. It's so infuriating that they do this even with clear layoff documentation. Your story gives me hope though. I've got my WARN notice, severance agreement, and all the paperwork showing it was a reduction in force. The waiting is killing me financially but I'm not backing down. Did you end up using any services to help get through to Washington ESD or did you just tough it out with the terrible phone system? Thanks for sharing your experience - it really helps to know others have been through this and won.

@Ana Erdoğan I mostly just dealt with the terrible phone system, but honestly I wish I had known about services like Claimyr that Dylan mentioned earlier in this thread. If I had to do it over again, I probably would have used something like that to save myself the hours of frustration trying to get through. The phone system is seriously broken - you ll'be on hold for 2-3 hours and then get disconnected. It s'designed to discourage people from following up on their claims. Since you have all the same documentation I had WARN (notice, severance agreement, etc. ,)you re'in a really strong position. Don t'let Walmart s'lawyers intimidate you - they re'just hoping you ll'give up. Keep filing those weekly claims and stay strong. You ve'got this!

This gives me so much hope! I'm dealing with the exact same situation - Walmart distribution center layoff and they're contesting it despite having all the proper documentation. It's reassuring to hear that you won your case and got the back pay. I'm definitely going to look into Claimyr since everyone here seems to have had success with it. The phone system sounds like a complete nightmare and I can't afford to waste weeks trying to get through. Thanks for sharing the details about your timeline - 6 weeks feels manageable knowing there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Reading all these stories about Walmart contesting legitimate layoff claims is both infuriating and oddly comforting - at least I know I'm not alone in this fight. It's clear they have a systematic approach to challenging every claim regardless of the circumstances. I'm in week 4 of adjudication now and the financial stress is really getting to me, but hearing that you and others have successfully fought these contests gives me the motivation to keep going. I've uploaded all my documentation including the WARN notice and severance paperwork, and I'm going to look into Claimyr tomorrow to try to get a status update. This whole experience has really opened my eyes to how these massive corporations treat their former employees - it's shameful but not surprising. Thanks for sharing your timeline and encouragement!