Weekly claim suddenly 'pending' after reopening UI claim - eligibility being questioned again?
I've been collecting unemployment for about 2 months then stopped filing for several weeks because I thought I might have work (didn't pan out). I reopened my claim about a month ago and everything seemed fine - got paid for 3-4 weeks with no issues at all. Now suddenly my latest weekly claim is stuck on 'pending' instead of the usual 'processing' status! When I click on the pending status it says they're 'determining if I am eligible.' WHY?? They already approved me twice! Now I'm freaking out because rent is due next week and I was counting on this payment. Has this happened to anyone else after reopening a claim? Should I just wait until morning or start calling ESD right away? I'm so tired of this roller coaster.
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Paolo Conti
This happened to me too! It's probably because you had that gap in filing. Same thing when I took 3 weeks off for a temp job. When I started filing again everything was fine for a month then BOOM - pending for no reason. So annoying.
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Keisha Williams
•Did yours eventually process? How long did it take? I can't afford to wait weeks again 😩
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Amina Diallo
When you reopen a claim after a break, ESD often automatically flags it for an eligibility review, even if you were previously approved. The system is designed to check if anything changed during your break from filing that might affect your eligibility. This is actually routine, but the frustrating part is they don't clearly communicate this to claimants. In most cases, it resolves within 3-5 business days without you needing to do anything. If it's still pending after a week, that's when you should start trying to contact them.
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Keisha Williams
•Thank you so much for explaining! The website doesn't tell you ANY of this and it's so stressful. I'll give it until next Monday before I panic completely.
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Oliver Schulz
CALL THEM ASAP!!! Don't listen to people saying wait. My claim got stuck in 'pending' for 8 WEEKS because I didn't call right away. The longer u wait, the longer it takes to fix. The system is totally broken and waiting just puts you at the back of the line. TRUST ME ON THIS!!!
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•I agree with this 100%. The 'wait and see' approach rarely works with ESD. I'd start calling first thing tomorrow morning. Be prepared to spend hours trying to get through though - their phone system is a nightmare. I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an ESD agent in about 15 minutes instead of spending days calling. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Saved me a ton of stress when my claim had a similar issue.
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AstroAdventurer
From my experance, if theres a gap in ur claims somtimes it triggers what they call an 'automated adjudication' which is basikly the computer checking if your still eligible. mine did this 2x but then fixed itself after like 3 days both times. just my 2 cents but probly no need 2 panic yet
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Keisha Williams
•I hope you're right! The thing is, if it's just a routine check, why wouldn't they tell us that? The messaging on the website makes it sound like I did something wrong.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
This is a common issue after reopening claims. The system automatically flags them for review, especially if there's been any change in your reporting. A couple things to check that might be causing this: 1. Did you report any earnings, even small ones, on your last weekly claim? 2. Did you answer any questions differently than before? 3. Did you miss reporting any work search activities? Any of these can trigger a review. If it's still pending by Thursday, I'd recommend contacting them directly.
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Keisha Williams
•Now that you mention it, I did have a one-day gig last week that I reported (only $175). Maybe that's what triggered it? I reported everything exactly as instructed though.
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Javier Mendoza
That one-day gig is definitely what caused this. Any time you report earnings, the system flags your claim for manual review to ensure you're reporting accurately. It's frustrating but it's actually a good thing - they're making sure people who are working full-time aren't also collecting benefits. The pending status should clear within 5 business days.
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Keisha Williams
•That makes sense! Thank you for explaining - I wish they would just tell us these things somewhere on the website instead of making us guess. I'll try to be patient for a few more days.
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Paolo Conti
my frend works at esd and says they r super backed up right now cuz they just did a system update. so evrything is taking longer then usual.
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Keisha Williams
UPDATE: My claim just switched from pending to paid this morning! Only took 3 days in the end. Thanks everyone for the advice and helping me not panic (too much). For anyone else who has this happen - the one-day job I reported definitely seems to have triggered the review, but it resolved itself without me having to call.
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Amina Diallo
•Great news! Thanks for coming back to update us. Yes, any reported earnings will typically trigger a quick review, but as you experienced, they usually resolve quickly if everything was reported correctly. Glad it worked out!
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