What does progress mean for unemployment status on Washington ESD portal?

Thanks for explaining! Do you know if there's anything I can do to speed it up or find out what they're reviewing?

Not really much you can do except wait. The system is pretty backlogged right now.

That's reassuring to hear yours eventually went through! Did you get backpay for those weeks?

Yeah I got all the backpay once it was approved. Just had to be patient which was really hard when bills were due.

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

I was skeptical too but it actually got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes. Way better than spending hours redialing.

This sounds too good to be true but I'm desperate at this point. How much does it cost?

I feel your frustration but getting angry won't help your situation. Have you tried contacting your state representative?

Why should I have to contact politicians just to get unemployment benefits I'm entitled to? This is ridiculous.

Five days is nothing to worry about. Give it at least 2-3 weeks before you start getting concerned.

Should I be worried if I haven't received any correspondence from them asking for additional information?

Not necessarily. Sometimes they can verify everything they need without contacting you directly. But check your account regularly for any correspondence.

This is good advice. I made the mistake of not checking my account for a week and missed an important request for documents.

Hang in there. I know it's stressful but most claims do get approved eventually. Just takes way longer than it should.

If you need to check on your claim status, that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier really does help get through to agents. Worth trying if you're getting desperate.

They're basically the same thing in Washington ESD's system. Both mean your claim is being reviewed and hasn't been approved or denied yet.

Actually there can be subtle differences depending on what stage of review your claim is in, but for practical purposes they both mean 'wait and see'.

yeah my friend had the same problem last year took forever to get resolved

Good point! I've been keeping track of my job searches but wasn't sure if I needed to report them while the claim is still in progress.

Definitely keep reporting them. You don't want to get disqualified later for not meeting job search requirements.

That's really helpful insight! Is there any way to know which type of verification they're waiting for?

Not really from the claimant side. The system doesn't give that level of detail to protect privacy and prevent fraud.

That gives me hope! Did you do anything specific or did it just resolve on its own?

I didn't do anything special. Just kept filing my weekly claims and checking my account. One day it just changed to approved.

I used it and it worked for me. Got through to an agent who was able to check my claim status and explain what was happening. Better than the alternative of never getting through.

Shouldn't have to pay anyone to get basic information about our own claims. The system is broken.

That depends on the specific program requirements. Some emergency assistance looks at your unemployment claim status, others focus on current income. You'd need to check with each program individually.

Thank you for the reassurance! It's good to hear from someone with multiple experiences. Makes me feel less anxious about the whole thing.

Congrats! How long were you waiting? Gives me hope that mine might resolve soon too.

It was about 16 days total. Felt like forever but worth the wait when I saw that backpay deposit.

At least they could give us some kind of timeline or explanation of what step in the process we're at. The lack of communication is the worst part.

That's exactly what I need - just some explanation of what's going on! How long did it take to get connected?

About 15 minutes. Way better than the hours I wasted trying to call directly. The agent was really helpful too.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! I feel much better about the situation now. Just going to keep waiting and filing my weekly claims.