What effects did massive unemployment have on Washington ESD claims processing?

6 weeks?? That's insane for a regular claim. I thought they had fixed the processing delays by now.

They hired more staff but the training takes forever and turnover is high. Plus they're still using outdated computer systems.

And don't forget all the fraud issues that came from rushing approvals. Now they're being extra cautious which slows everything down even more.

That makes sense. So we're basically paying for the chaos that happened during the peak unemployment period.

Exactly. They're being more thorough now to avoid the fraud problems, but legitimate claimants are suffering longer wait times as a result.

Is that legit? I've been trying to call for weeks about my adjudication status but can never get through.

Yeah it's real. I was skeptical too but it actually worked. Got connected to an agent in like 20 minutes instead of spending hours hitting redial.

How much does something like that cost though? Seems like we shouldn't have to pay extra just to reach our own state agency.

My appeal hearing got scheduled 3 months out! This is ridiculous.

That's actually faster than some I've heard. The administrative law judges are completely overwhelmed.

YES! I tried to file my weekly claim Sunday morning and got error messages for 2 hours straight.

Try filing really early in the morning or late at night. Less traffic on the system then.

We shouldn't have to work around their broken system like this. Other states figured it out.

They did tighten up the job search requirements. You need to log 3 job search activities per week now and they're more likely to audit your job search log.

Great, so not only do claims take longer to process, but they made it harder to stay eligible. Perfect.

Which calling service? Was it that Claimyr thing someone mentioned earlier?

yeah that one. worked pretty well actually, got me through to someone who could explain why my claim was stuck

I might try that. Been waiting 5 weeks for them to process my identity verification documents.

That's because they lost so many documents during the rush. Their document management system couldn't handle the volume and stuff just disappeared into the void.

So basically we're stuck dealing with their incompetence from years ago. Awesome.

That's the overcorrection I mentioned earlier. They approved so many fraudulent claims during the crisis that now they're treating everyone like potential criminals.

It's insulting honestly. I've been paying into this system for 15 years and they act like I'm trying to scam them.

Welcome to the new normal. They ruined their own system and now we all pay the price.

I feel bad for the individual workers but the agency leadership really failed here. They should have been better prepared.

She agrees. Says management makes decisions without understanding how the systems actually work.

Employer protests are definitely backed up. The adjudication units are still overwhelmed from the backlog that built up during peak unemployment.

Two months without benefits while they sort out obvious BS from my employer. The whole system is broken.

They're working on a new computer system but it's been 'in development' for like 3 years now. Don't hold your breath.

Every state agency says they're upgrading their systems. It's like the government version of 'the check is in the mail.

So basically we're stuck with 1990s technology trying to handle 2020s problems. Got it.

Wait, they're STILL processing claims from years ago? How is that even possible?

Apparently the really complicated cases - like people who had multiple employers or worked in different states - got pushed to the bottom of the pile and just stayed there.

That's insane. So people are still waiting for money from unemployment that happened during the crisis?

Exactly. I'm keeping way more money in savings now because I don't trust that unemployment will actually come through if I need it.

Same here. The massive unemployment period showed us that the system can completely fail when it's needed most.

Washington definitely struggled more than most states. The combination of outdated systems and poor leadership made everything worse.

and now we're all paying for their failure with longer wait times and more bureaucracy. it's not fair

That's why I'm glad I found Claimyr. At least there's a way to get through now, even if we shouldn't need it.

It's sad that we have to pay extra just to access our own benefits. The massive unemployment period really broke everything.