Washington ESD unemployment rates during previous administration - how did it affect claims?

That makes sense. So fewer people were filing but it was still taking weeks to get approved?

Yeah, adjudication delays were still common. The Washington ESD system has always been backed up, regardless of the political climate.

Six weeks?? That's terrible. How did you survive financially during that time?

Had to borrow money from family. The Washington ESD phone lines were impossible to get through to back then too.

Never heard of that before. Is it legit or one of those scam services?

It's real - claimyr.com. I was skeptical too but they actually got me connected to resolve my ID verification issue.

How much does something like that cost though?

They don't ask for your personal info or anything sketchy. Just focuses on getting you through to Washington ESD when you need to talk to someone.

Really? You actually worked for Washington ESD? What was it like from the inside?

Constant backlog of cases, old computer systems that crashed regularly, not enough staff to handle the workload. That was before COVID made everything 10x worse.

Ugh, so basically nothing has improved over the years?

nope same old broken system just with more people trying to use it now

Thanks for the actual numbers! So theoretically Washington ESD should have been less overwhelmed during those years?

In theory yes, but like others said, the system problems weren't just about volume. Staffing and technology issues have been ongoing.

Those numbers sound about right. I remember hearing about the low unemployment rates on the news back then.

The basic requirements stayed the same, though there were some temporary changes during the pandemic that affected 2020-2021.

OK good to know. I was worried I was missing something about the rules changing.

I wasn't trying to make it political - just wondering if there were patterns in how the system worked during different time periods.

Fair enough. I just get tired of everything being blamed on or credited to whoever is president.

The federal unemployment rate does affect how many people are filing though, which impacts wait times.

Good to hear another success story with it. I might try that if I run into issues with my claim.

Yeah definitely worth it if you're stuck. The Washington ESD phone system is brutal to navigate on your own.

Exactly! Classic government short-sightedness. They wait until crisis hits instead of preparing.

Now we're all paying the price with these endless adjudication delays and system crashes.

The maximum weekly benefit amount increases periodically based on wage data. In 2019 it was around $790 per week, now it's higher - I think around $1020 or so.

thanks! i was wondering if my dad might have gotten more if he filed now instead of then

That's depressing but good to know what I'm getting into I guess.

Just be prepared for long waits and lots of confusion. Keep calling until you get through or use one of those callback services people mentioned.

Makes sense - they probably deal with way more angry people now.

Yeah, back then they seemed more willing to actually help instead of just rushing you off the phone.

You're right. I should focus on what I can control now rather than worrying about the past.

Exactly. And if you run into problems, don't wait weeks to try to contact Washington ESD. The sooner you address issues, the better.

Seems like that's the consensus - Washington ESD has always been slow regardless of economic conditions.

That's a good way to put it. The problems were always there, just affecting fewer people.

Right. And now that more people have experienced it, there's more pressure to actually fix things. We'll see if that happens.

Thanks for the follow-up! I'll bookmark that in case I need it.

Good to know it works consistently and not just a one-time thing.

Thanks everyone for all the perspectives. Sounds like I just need to be patient and prepared for potential delays.

Exactly. And don't let the horror stories scare you too much - plenty of claims do get processed smoothly, you just don't hear about those as much.

Thanks! Fingers crossed. This thread has been really helpful for setting expectations.