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Weeks showing 'disqualified' but no decision letters in ESD account - can't appeal

I was laid off at the end of February 2025 and started filing my unemployment claims with ESD the week of March 10th. I've just submitted my 5th weekly claim yesterday and noticed something concerning - my first three weeks all show 'disqualified' status, but there are zero decision letters in my account! I can't figure out how to appeal since there's nothing showing under the decision status tab. I've met all my job search requirements (documented my 3 activities each week) and uploaded everything correctly. Has anyone else experienced this weird glitch where you're disqualified but given no reason why? I'm getting really worried since I've got rent due next week and was counting on those benefits. I'm guessing I'll need to call ESD directly (ugh) but wanted to check if there's a better solution before spending hours on hold?

Daniel Rivera

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This happened to me back in January - my weeks showed disqualified but no letters. Turned out there was an issue with my identity verification that never triggered a notification. Check your 'Notices and Letters' section (not just Decision Status) and look for anything about identity verification or additional information needed. Also, check if your employer contested your claim - sometimes that causes disqualification without clear explanation.

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Owen Devar

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Thanks for responding! I checked the Notices and Letters section and there's literally nothing there either. It's completely empty which seems really strange. My former employer and I parted on good terms (company-wide layoff), so I don't think they contested anything. This is so frustrating!

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Sophie Footman

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i had the EXACT same issue and wasted 2 weeks trying to figure it out online. turned out my previous w2 info didnt match what my employer reported or something weird like that??? you DEF need to call them because sometimes the system glitches and doesnt send the letters. keep trying different times - early morning worked for me (like right when they open at 8am). good luck!!!

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Owen Devar

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Ugh, that's what I was afraid of. I'll try calling right at 8am tomorrow. Did you have to do anything special after you finally got through to them?

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Connor Rupert

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This is a fairly common issue with the ESD system right now. There are a few things to check: 1. Make sure your contact information is 100% up-to-date in both your ESD account AND your SAW (SecureAccess Washington) account. Sometimes letters get generated but don't appear in your online portal. 2. Check if you worked in multiple states in your base year (the 12-18 months before your claim). This often triggers a wage investigation that shows as disqualification until resolved. 3. Verify your job separation reason is consistent throughout your application. If you indicated anything that could be interpreted as quitting rather than being laid off, the system might disqualify you. 4. If you've collected unemployment in the past 12 months, there might be an issue with your benefit year calculation. Regardless, you should definitely call ESD directly. The disqualification without explanation is almost always a technical issue they can resolve.

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Owen Devar

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Thank you for all this detailed info! I just double-checked and my contact info is correct in both accounts. I haven't worked in multiple states and definitely listed it as a layoff throughout my application. I did collect unemployment briefly back in 2023, but that's more than a year ago now. I guess I really do need to call them directly.

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Molly Hansen

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same thing happened to my cousin just last month! he finally got it fixed but had to talk to like 3 different people at esd before someone knew what was going on. something about the system updating or whatever. took him forever to get through on the phone tho.

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Brady Clean

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After dealing with ESD for months last year, I discovered Claimyr and it was a GAME CHANGER for getting through to ESD. I was in the same boat - weeks showing disqualified with no explanation. Spent days trying to call with no luck. Used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got a callback from ESD within about 40 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. In my case, it turned out there was a flag on my account because my previous employer had submitted incorrect information about my last day worked. The ESD agent fixed it immediately once I actually got to talk to someone.

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Skylar Neal

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Is that service legit? Seems sketchy that you have to pay just to talk to a government agency we already fund with our taxes! ESD should fix their phone system instead!!

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Vincent Bimbach

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DONT PANIC YET! The ESD system is TERRIBLE with notifications. I had THREE WEEKS of benefits with the "disqualified" status last year and nearly had a nervous breakdown thinking I wouldn't get paid. Called ESD and found out it was a SYSTEM ERROR! They fixed it in 5 minutes and I got all my payments a few days later. The online system shows "disqualified" for basically ANY hold or question on your claim, even minor ones that are easy to resolve. YOUR CLAIM IS PROBABLY FINE but you DEF need to call them!!

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Owen Devar

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Thank you for this - it actually makes me feel a bit better! I was starting to stress out thinking I did something majorly wrong. I'll make calling them my top priority tomorrow morning.

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Connor Rupert

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One more thing to check - go to your dashboard and look for a section called "Upload Documents" or sometimes "Provide Additional Information." Sometimes the system requires additional verification but doesn't properly notify you. Also, double-check that you answered the able and available question correctly on your weekly claims. Saying you weren't available for work for any reason (vacation, illness, etc.) automatically disqualifies you for that week.

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Owen Devar

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I just checked and there's nothing in the upload documents section either. And I definitely answered yes to being able and available each week - I've been actively job searching the whole time. It's like my claim is in some weird limbo state. I appreciate all the suggestions though!

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Skylar Neal

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the esd website is garbage!!! i had THREE claims last year all with diffrent problems. its not ur fault its just how they desined this junk system. keep calling, try different times of day. sometimes mid-afternoon is better than morning. also try on wendsday, seems less busy for some reason. good luck!

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Daniel Rivera

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Just wanted to give you an update from my experience - after finding myself in this situation, I ended up having to call ESD three separate times. The first agent couldn't help, the second told me there was a system issue, and the third finally resolved it. The issue was that my claim had been flagged for manual review due to my job title containing certain keywords that triggered verification. The most important thing I learned: if your weeks show as disqualified but there are no letters, it's almost always a technical or procedural issue within ESD, not something you did wrong. Be persistent with calling, ask specifically for a tier 2 agent if the first person can't help, and request they add detailed notes to your account about the issue.

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Owen Devar

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This is super helpful, thank you! I'll make sure to ask for a tier 2 agent if needed. It's weird because my job title was pretty standard (Marketing Coordinator) but maybe something else triggered a review. I'll update here once I get through to them.

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