When did unemployment start for covid in Washington ESD system?

That makes sense. I think I was eligible for regular UI but got confused by all the new program names being thrown around.

yeah the rollout was messy, washington esd's website crashed constantly those first few weeks

I've been trying to call for weeks but can never get through. The hold times are still ridiculous even now.

Have you tried using Claimyr? I found out about it recently and it actually got me through to a Washington ESD agent within a few hours. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Way better than sitting on hold all day.

Two months?? That's terrible. I hope the system is better now for current claims.

It's definitely better than 2020 but still has issues. I had to call Washington ESD last month about an adjudication problem and it took forever to reach someone.

That's exactly why I started using Claimyr - it handles the calling part for you. You just put in your info at claimyr.com and they call Washington ESD repeatedly until they get through, then connect you. Saved me hours of frustration.

Yeah I know the pandemic programs ended. I'm dealing with old paperwork from 2020 that Washington ESD is now questioning. Something about whether I was actually eligible back then.

Oh that's different. Washington ESD has been doing a lot of auditing of old pandemic claims. You definitely need to talk to them directly about that kind of issue.

There was a lot of fraud during the pandemic, so Washington ESD is required to review claims and recover overpayments. It's frustrating but they have to do it.

I wasn't trying to commit fraud, I just filed based on what I thought I was supposed to do at the time. Everything was so confusing.

That's probably why I'm confused about the timeline. I might have filed for regular UI first and then gotten moved to a different program later.

Yeah that happened to a lot of people. The programs overlapped and Washington ESD moved people around between them.

That's exactly what I'm worried about. I don't want to owe money back if I filed correctly at the time.

definitely get documentation together before you talk to washington esd about it

Yeah that's the problem - I need to talk to them but can't get through.

Seriously try Claimyr if you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD. I was skeptical at first but it really works. They keep calling until someone answers and then patch you through.

Right? It's all a blur. I wish I had kept better records at the time.

Nobody knew what was happening back then. Don't beat yourself up about it.

I was a regular employee so that makes sense. I probably should have just filed regular UI instead of waiting for the other programs.

hindsight is 20/20. everyone was confused about what to do.

I'll keep trying to call. Maybe I'll get lucky and get through eventually.

Or use Claimyr to skip the wait. I'm telling you, it's worth it to not waste hours on hold.

Thanks. Hopefully I can get it sorted out without any major problems.

you'll be fine, just be persistent with following up