What is unemployment rate currently in Washington - does it affect my claim processing?

Thanks for the info! So the rate being low doesn't necessarily mean faster processing then?

Not really, the adjudication backlog is more about internal Washington ESD capacity than the overall state unemployment rate.

3 weeks isn't too bad I guess, I'm only at 2 weeks so maybe there's still hope

Don't wait around hoping - if you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD about your adjudication status, I found this service called Claimyr that actually gets you through to a real agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.

That makes sense - so even if overall unemployment is low, if there's a surge of new filings that could slow things down?

Exactly. Plus seasonal factors, mass layoffs in specific industries, all of that impacts their workload more than the general unemployment percentage.

This is why I hate when people say 'unemployment is low so the system should work fine' - it's not that simple!

Good to know, thanks for looking that up!

Yeah the state rate vs individual processing time is totally different things. I filed when unemployment was supposedly 'low' and still waited a month for my adjudication.

That's exactly why I mentioned Claimyr earlier - saves you from the endless calling. They handle the phone queue so you don't have to sit there redialing all day.

Never heard of that, is it legit?

Yeah it's real, I used it last month when I couldn't get through about my job search requirements question. Way better than spending hours on hold.

This is helpful context, thank you. Do you know if there's anywhere to check their current caseload?

Washington ESD publishes weekly claims data but it's usually a few weeks behind. Your best bet for current status is calling them directly about your specific case.

Tech layoffs make headlines but they're a small percentage of total employment. The overall state rate is still relatively low even with those layoffs.

Oh ok that makes sense, I guess the news makes it seem worse than it is

Yeah media coverage can be misleading. A few hundred tech workers getting laid off sounds huge but Washington has millions of workers total.

That's reassuring to know it's more about individual cases. Hopefully mine isn't too complex.

What's your adjudication about? Sometimes certain issues are faster to resolve than others.

Just standard eligibility review I think, nothing complicated like misconduct or anything.

Standby status is such a pain, had to call them three times to get mine sorted out

That's where something like Claimyr would have been helpful - I heard they're good for getting through when you have specific questions about standby and other claim types.

That explains a lot about the delays. Hopefully they get more staff soon.

They've been trying to hire more adjudicators but it takes time to train people on all the unemployment rules and regulations.

Plus they lost a lot of experienced staff during COVID who never came back. Starting over with new people slows everything down.

10 days sounds amazing! What kind of case did you have?

Just standard layoff, nothing complicated. I think I just got lucky with timing or which adjudicator picked up my case.

Several people have mentioned Claimyr now, might have to look into that if my adjudication doesn't move soon.

Yeah it saved me a lot of headache. The video on their site shows exactly how it works if you want to see before trying it.

Good point, I should probably call them this week to check on status.

Good luck getting through! The phone lines are brutal but persistence pays off eventually.