Washington ESD - how many people are affected by unemployment in our state right now?

Wow that's way more people than I thought. No wonder the phone lines are always busy.

Those numbers explain why my adjudication is taking forever. They're probably swamped.

Makes sense why I can never get through on the phone. Been trying for 3 weeks straight.

Have you tried calling right at 8am when they open? That's usually the best time.

Yeah I've tried everything. Even set alarms to call exactly at opening time but still can't get through.

Never heard of that before. Does it actually work or is it just another scam?

It worked for me. Got connected to an agent within 2 hours when I'd been trying on my own for weeks. They handle the calling process so you don't have to sit there hitting redial.

Interesting. I might have to look into that if my current issue doesn't get resolved soon.

I think they have more than 50 agents but your point stands. The ratio is definitely not good.

whatever the number is its not enough. been unemployed since december and still waiting on my first payment

So the actual number going through Washington ESD might be lower than that?

Exactly. Probably around 120k-140k are actively dealing with Washington ESD for benefits. Still a huge number though.

5 weeks in adjudication is rough but not uncommon unfortunately. What's the issue they're reviewing?

Something about my separation from my last job. I quit to take care of my sick mom but I guess they need to verify that constitutes good cause.

Family care is usually considered good cause but they have to document everything. Hope it gets resolved soon.

That's exactly the type of situation where Claimyr helped me. Had an overpayment issue that needed immediate attention and couldn't wait weeks for a callback.

I'm getting desperate enough to try anything at this point. The automated system just keeps telling me to wait.

Good point! I never thought about the website traffic from weekly claims.

The system definitely gets overloaded on Sundays. I always file mine early Monday morning to avoid the rush.

True, standby claimants still have to file weekly claims and interact with the system.

wish I could get standby status instead of having to apply to 3 jobs every week

You can usually check your job search log status through your online account under the 'Job Search Activities' section.

Mine just shows 'submitted' but doesn't say if it was accepted or if there are any issues with it.

Makes sense. Dealing with people's financial information probably requires extensive vetting.

meanwhile we're all suffering while they take their sweet time hiring people

That means 70% of people calling don't get through! That's terrible odds.

Exactly why services like Claimyr exist. When the official channels are that overwhelmed, people need alternatives to actually reach someone.

YES! I refresh my account like 20 times a day. It's becoming an obsession.

same here. first thing I do every morning is check if anything changed overnight

That's reassuring to hear. Sometimes it feels like my claim is lost in the void forever.

Yeah the waiting is the worst part. Bills don't stop coming while we wait for adjudication to finish.

Appeals can take 6-8 weeks unfortunately. The hearings are backlogged just like everything else.

Great, so I might not get a hearing until March. This is ridiculous.

Exactly! Sometimes I thought it was just me having bad luck with the system.

You're definitely not alone. This forum exists because so many people are dealing with similar issues.

You're welcome! I was curious too and figured others might want to know the scope of what we're all dealing with.

It definitely helps to understand the scale. Makes the delays more understandable even if they're still frustrating.

I might have to try that. My disqualification letter doesn't make sense and I need to talk to someone before my appeal deadline.

That's exactly the type of time-sensitive situation where it's worth it. Don't risk missing your deadline because you can't get through on the phone.

Knowledge is power! Understanding the scale definitely helps manage expectations about response times.

Agreed. Now I feel less like the system is personally targeting me and more like it's just overwhelmed.

Hang in there. Your claim will eventually get processed even if it feels like forever right now.