Washington ESD unemployment rates when Biden took office - how did it affect claims?

Six weeks?? That's insane. Did they ever explain why it took so long?

Never got a real explanation. Just kept getting the runaround when I called.

Makes sense why everything was so slow then. I remember reading about all the fraud issues too.

Yeah the fraud cleanup probably slowed down legitimate claims too. They had to verify everything more carefully.

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

It's legit - basically helps you get through the phone queue instead of waiting hours. Way better than the old days of calling 200+ times.

Interesting, I'll check that out. Anything to avoid the phone hell people describe.

Were there specific policy changes that made things worse?

Mostly verification requirements and system updates to handle different benefit types. Plus they were still dealing with pandemic-era backlogs.

That's terrible. Did you ever get backpay for those 8 weeks?

Eventually yes, but it took forever. The stress was unreal.

True but the volume in early 2021 made everything 10x worse

fair point, timing was definitely bad

That's reassuring. What counts as complications though?

Usually things like identity verification issues, disputes over reason for separation, or incomplete job search documentation.

Exactly. And that doesn't even count people who had exhausted benefits or weren't eligible for traditional UI.

Right, the real numbers were probably much higher

That's exactly why I wish Claimyr had been around then. Would have saved him so much time and frustration.

Definitely. The phone system was completely broken back then.

That uncertainty is the worst part. At least now you can usually get through to check status.

Yeah, communication has definitely improved since then.

That's a good point. High volume plus new staff is a recipe for delays.

Exactly. You could tell when you finally got through that agents were overwhelmed.

So true. I wish I had known about services like that during the worst of it.

yeah would have been a lifesaver

That's a huge drop from 16% to 5% in less than a year though

True, but 5% is still about double the pre-pandemic normal. System was still stressed.

Yes, the job search requirements were relaxed during the pandemic and then gradually reinstated. Created a lot of confusion about what was required when.

Exactly. Nobody knew what the current rules were.

Good advice. What documents should I prepare ahead of time?

Pay stubs, separation notice, ID, social security card. Basically anything that proves your work history and identity.

Exactly. The administrative burden lagged behind the economic recovery.

Makes sense. Systems don't scale up and down instantly.

Good to know. I would have assumed you couldn't file weekly claims until the main claim was approved.

Nope, you need to keep filing to preserve your eligibility for those weeks. Learned that the hard way.

That's reassuring. Thanks for all the historical context everyone.

No problem. And remember, if you do run into phone issues, Claimyr is there as a backup option.

Great tip. I'll plan to file on a Monday morning.

Good plan. And have all your information ready before you start the application.

So true. We thought it was bad then, but at least now you can actually get through to someone.

exactly, and you have tools like claimyr if the regular system is swamped