Washington ESD unemployment claim - how long does unemployment take to get approved?

Thanks for the info! I haven't gotten any requests for additional documents so hopefully that's a good sign.

yeah mine took about 3 weeks last year, just be patient

Have you tried using Claimyr? It's a service that helps people get through to Washington ESD agents. I used it last month when I couldn't reach anyone for 3 weeks straight. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they even have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.

5 weeks is way too long. Something might be wrong with your claim that needs manual review.

I was laid off due to company downsizing, so hopefully that should be straightforward. No misconduct or anything like that.

What's adjudication exactly? My status changed to that and I have no idea what it means.

Adjudication is when Washington ESD needs to investigate something about your claim - like if your employer disputes the reason you left or if there are questions about your availability to work.

I know, I probably check way too often. It's just nerve-wracking when you need the money.

totally get it, bills don't stop coming just because you're unemployed

Yes, I've been doing my weekly claims every Sunday. Good reminder though!

Wait, really? I didn't know that. I've been waiting for my claim to be approved first before filing weekly claims.

You should start filing weekly claims immediately. If your initial claim gets approved, you'll get paid for all the weeks you properly filed for.

My employer is being difficult and not responding to Washington ESD's requests. Now my claim has been pending for 6 weeks.

That's frustrating. You might want to document your attempts to reach your employer and provide that to Washington ESD.

That's encouraging! Did you get any communication from them during those 21 days or did it just change to approved one day?

Nothing until the approval. Then I got an email and letter in the mail on the same day.

I had the same problem until someone told me about Claimyr. It's a service that calls for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. I was skeptical at first but it actually worked - got through to someone within 2 hours instead of wasting days trying myself.

try calling right at 8am when they open, sometimes you can get through then

Yeah, they're definitely still catching up. My friend filed 3 months ago and it took 5 weeks for approval.

I hope it doesn't take that long for mine. I'm already at 2 weeks and getting anxious.

I think I provided everything they asked for, but maybe I should double-check my application to make sure nothing was missed.

good advice! I had to refile parts of mine because I messed up some dates initially

Good to know! How long after approval did you get your first payment?

About a week after approval for me, but I had direct deposit set up.

Every state is different though. At least Washington has decent benefit amounts once you do get approved.

I guess, but the waiting is killing me financially

Interesting observation. I filed on a Wednesday, so hopefully that's not too late in the week.

probably just depends on their workload that week more than the day you file

Yeah, I've been checking daily. Still just says pending but at least there are no outstanding issues listed.

thats a good sign! when they need stuff from you it usually shows up as an alert or task

A couple people mentioned that service already. Might have to look into it if I don't hear something soon.

yeah i saw the video demo they have and it seems legit, just wish we didn't need services like that to reach our own government agencies

Thanks for the encouragement. I know logically it will probably work out, but the waiting is definitely stressful.

hang in there! the first claim is always the most nerve-wracking because you don't know what to expect