What was unemployment like before Washington ESD modernized their system?
I'm curious about how the Washington ESD unemployment system worked in the past compared to now. My dad always talks about how different it was when he filed for unemployment back in the day - no online claims, having to mail forms, waiting weeks just to talk to someone. Was it really that much harder? I'm dealing with some adjudication issues right now and wondering if the old system was actually better or worse for getting things resolved quickly.
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Ella Thompson
Oh man, the old system was a nightmare compared to what we have now. Back in the 90s and early 2000s, you had to physically go to the unemployment office or mail paper forms. No SecureAccess Washington (SAW) portal, no online weekly claims. Everything took forever because it was all manual processing.
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Matthew Sanchez
•That sounds terrible! At least now I can check my claim status online, even if it's been stuck in adjudication for weeks.
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JacksonHarris
•The lines at the unemployment offices were insane too. I remember my mom waiting 3 hours just to ask one question about her claim status.
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Jeremiah Brown
The phone system was the worst part though. You'd call the Washington ESD number and get busy signals for hours. No automated system, no callback options. If you finally got through, you'd be on hold for 2-3 hours minimum. At least now there are services like Claimyr (claimyr.com) that can help you get through to agents faster - they have this demo video (https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ) showing how it works.
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Royal_GM_Mark
•Wait, what's Claimyr? I've been trying to reach Washington ESD for two weeks about my adjudication issue and can't get through.
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Jeremiah Brown
•It's a service that helps you connect with unemployment agents by phone. Really helped me when I had a similar adjudication problem last month.
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Amelia Cartwright
The job search requirements were different too. Now you have to log everything in WorkSourceWA online, but back then it was all paper logs you had to keep yourself. If you lost your log book, you were screwed. No digital backup, no way to prove you were looking for work.
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Chris King
•That's actually kind of scary. At least with WorkSourceWA now there's a digital record of everything.
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Ella Thompson
•Yeah, but the online system crashes sometimes. I've had my job search log disappear and had to re-enter everything.
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Amelia Cartwright
•True, but imagine if your physical paper log got destroyed in a fire or flood. You'd have no way to prove months of job searching.
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Rachel Clark
honestly the old system might have been slower but at least you could talk to actual humans easier once you got through. now everything is automated and half the time the chatbots dont understand what youre asking
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Matthew Sanchez
•I kind of agree with this. The automation is nice but when you have a complex issue like adjudication, you really need a person to help.
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Royal_GM_Mark
•That's why I'm interested in that Claimyr thing the other person mentioned. Getting through to actual agents seems impossible otherwise.
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Zachary Hughes
My uncle worked for Washington ESD back in the 80s and he said they had rooms full of people just filing paper claims all day. Everything was done by hand - calculating benefit amounts, tracking work searches, processing appeals. He said it took 6-8 weeks minimum just to get your first payment because everything had to be reviewed manually.
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JacksonHarris
•6-8 weeks?! I thought waiting 3 weeks for my current claim was bad.
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Zachary Hughes
•Yeah, and if there was ANY mistake on your paperwork, they'd mail it back to you and you'd have to start over. No quick fixes like you can do online now.
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Jeremiah Brown
•The paper trail was probably more secure though. Now everything's digital and sometimes claims get lost in the system.
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Mia Alvarez
Does anyone remember having to physically sign in at the unemployment office every two weeks to prove you were still looking for work? That was before they had the weekly claim system we have now. You literally had to show up in person or your benefits would stop.
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Ella Thompson
•Wait, really? That seems like it would be a huge burden for people without reliable transportation.
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Mia Alvarez
•Exactly! If you were sick or your car broke down, tough luck. Miss your appointment and your benefits got cut off immediately.
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Matthew Sanchez
•Wow, the online weekly claims are definitely better than that, even when the website is slow.
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Carter Holmes
THE OLD SYSTEM WAS GARBAGE BUT AT LEAST THEY DIDNT HAVE THESE STUPID ADJUDICATION DELAYS THAT GO ON FOR MONTHS. When they reviewed your claim it was done by a real person who could make decisions on the spot, not these automated systems that flag everything for review.
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Sophia Long
•I don't think that's true. My mom's claim was under review for 3 months back in 1995. The delays have always existed.
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Carter Holmes
•MAYBE BUT AT LEAST YOU COULD WALK INTO THE OFFICE AND DEMAND ANSWERS. Now you're stuck calling a phone number that never gets answered.
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Royal_GM_Mark
•That's why I'm going to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Seems like the only way to actually reach someone at Washington ESD these days.
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Angelica Smith
I think people romanticize the old system because they forget how bad it actually was. Sure, you could walk into an office, but you'd wait 4+ hours just to be told to come back tomorrow. At least now you can file your weekly claim at 2am in your pajamas if you want.
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Rachel Clark
•thats fair but when the online system crashes on sunday night and you cant file your weekly claim its pretty frustrating too
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Angelica Smith
•True, but system crashes are temporary. Having to take a day off work to stand in line at the unemployment office was a permanent hassle.
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Logan Greenburg
The appeals process was actually worse back then. Now you can submit appeal documents online through SecureAccess Washington. Before, you had to mail everything certified mail and hope it didn't get lost. I had a friend whose appeal paperwork got lost twice and she had to restart the whole process.
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Matthew Sanchez
•That's terrifying. At least now there's an electronic record of everything you submit.
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Logan Greenburg
•Exactly. And you get confirmation emails when Washington ESD receives your documents. Much better than wondering if your mail got delivered.
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Charlotte Jones
my grandma always talks about the great depression and how there was no unemployment system at all back then. makes you appreciate what we have now even with all the problems
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Ella Thompson
•That's a good point. The unemployment insurance system didn't exist until the 1930s. Before that, if you lost your job, you were completely on your own.
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Charlotte Jones
•yeah exactly. at least now we have something even if its not perfect
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Lucas Bey
The old system had one advantage though - fewer identity theft issues. When everything was paper-based and in-person, it was harder for scammers to file fake claims. Now with everything online, Washington ESD has to deal with tons of fraudulent claims.
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Angelica Smith
•That's true, but the trade-off is worth it. The convenience and speed of the online system outweighs the security risks in my opinion.
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Lucas Bey
•I agree, but it's frustrating when legitimate claimants get flagged for fraud review because of all the scammers.
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Harper Thompson
I used Claimyr last month when I couldn't get through to Washington ESD about my standby status issue. Worked great - got connected to an agent within an hour instead of spending days trying to call. The video demo on their site (https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ) explains it pretty well.
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Royal_GM_Mark
•That's exactly what I need! I've been trying to reach them about my adjudication for weeks with no luck.
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Caleb Stark
•Is it expensive? I'm on unemployment so money's tight right now.
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Harper Thompson
•It's worth it when you consider how much time you save not calling repeatedly. Check out claimyr.com for more info.
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Jade O'Malley
The biggest improvement is probably the real-time updates. In the old system, you'd submit paperwork and have no idea what was happening until you got a letter weeks later. Now you can log into SAW and see exactly where your claim stands.
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Matthew Sanchez
•Yeah, even though my claim is stuck in adjudication, at least I can see that status online instead of wondering what's happening.
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Jade O'Malley
•Exactly. The transparency is so much better now, even if the processing times still aren't ideal.
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Hunter Edmunds
Overall I think we're much better off now despite the problems. The old system was slow, inconvenient, and you had no visibility into what was happening with your claim. At least now we have options like online filing, real-time status updates, and services like Claimyr to help when you need to reach an agent.
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Ella Thompson
•Agreed. Every system has flaws, but the current Washington ESD system is definitely an improvement over what existed before.
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Matthew Sanchez
•Thanks everyone for the perspective! Makes me feel better about dealing with my current adjudication issue knowing how much worse it used to be.
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Royal_GM_Mark
•Same here. I'm definitely going to try Claimyr to get through to someone about my claim status.
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