Why is Washington ESD unemployment taking so long in 2024 - claim been pending 6 weeks

Exactly! The phone system is completely broken. How are we supposed to get answers when they won't even take calls?

The phone volume has been insane since the holidays. Best times I've found are Tuesday/Wednesday mornings right at 8am.

4-8 weeks?? That's insane. How are people supposed to survive that long without income?

I know it's frustrating, but the system has to verify everything. Make sure you're documenting your job search activities - you'll need that when payments start.

Never heard of that. Sounds too good to be true tbh. Why would a third party be able to get through when we can't?

They have automated systems that keep calling until they get through, then connect you to the agent. Worked for me and my neighbor both.

At this point I'm willing to try anything. The stress is killing me.

I understand the frustration, but screaming doesn't help. Have you tried contacting your state representative's office? They can sometimes intervene.

tried everything, nobody cares about the working class anymore

I've checked everything - no letters, no pending issues showing. Just says 'claim under review' in the status section.

That usually means they're waiting on employer response or doing wage verification. Could take another few weeks unfortunately.

How long did your cousin end up waiting?

like 2 months total but she got backpay for everything

Good point, I'll check that. I think I did the ID.me thing when I first applied but maybe something didn't go through.

Yes, incomplete ID verification is a huge cause of delays right now. The system won't tell you clearly if there's an issue.

That's exactly what I need - just someone to tell me what's actually happening with my claim.

Still seems sketchy to me. Why can't Washington ESD just fix their own phone system?

Because they won't. Been broken for years and getting worse. Sometimes you gotta work around the system.

What did they say about your specific claim? Were you able to get any timeline?

She said my claim is in queue for final review, should hear something within 2 weeks. At least now I know it's moving.

That's progress! Getting any information at all is better than the black hole of not knowing.

8 weeks... I don't know how I'm going to make it that long. Already behind on everything.

Look into local food banks and utility assistance programs. Most have emergency help for people waiting on unemployment.

Job search requirements have been fully reinstated as of 2024. You need to log 3 job search activities per week and keep detailed records.

crap, better start logging everything then. thanks

That could be it. My employer might have coded it differently than I expected. Is there a way to check what they reported?

Only by talking to an agent unfortunately. They can see the employer's response but you can't access it online.

Seriously? That's amazing. I'm definitely going to try it. How much did it cost?

rather not say exact amount but it was worth every penny to finally get answers and get my claim moving

Still don't understand why we should have to pay a third party to access our own benefits

Good advice. I've been screenshotting everything but hadn't thought about printing hard copies.

Definitely print important documents. The online system sometimes loses older records.

Unemployment benefits are taxable income, so yes, you'll owe taxes on them. You can have taxes withheld from your payments if you want.

just another way the system screws working people

That's reassuring at least. I just need to know there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Hang in there. The system is slow but it does eventually work. Make sure you keep filing every week no matter what.

I didn't know they could help with claims. I thought WorkSource was just for job searching.

they work with washington esd and sometimes have better access to claim information. worth a shot

Is there anything employers can do to speed up the process? Like responding faster to requests?

We respond to all separation verifications within 24 hours, but I don't think that's the bottleneck. It's the manual review process that's taking forever.

That's somewhat hopeful. At least there's some kind of timeline now.

End of January would put you right at the 6-8 week range, which matches what I've been seeing lately.

Congratulations! That gives me hope. Did you end up getting the full backpay amount?

yes, got credit for all 7 weeks i was waiting. definitely helped to keep filing every week even though nothing was happening

This is exactly why it's crucial to keep filing weekly claims during the wait. Great outcome!