Quick update: My payment just switched from 'processing' to 'paid' about an hour ago. Hopefully everyone else's will update soon too. Looks like they're working through the backlog as promised.

mine still says processing ughhhhh

my brother took temp work during his waiting week last year and it totally messed up his claim. system thought he was employed full-time and denied everything. took him MONTHS to get it sorted out. just my two cents...

Just to add some clarity to your specific situation - the waiting week is always unpaid, but you still need to follow all unemployment rules during that week. Taking temp work during your waiting week won't affect your overall eligibility as long as you report it correctly. The real decision point is what happens AFTER your waiting week. You'll need to decide if you want to continue with temp work (and potentially receive partial benefits) or focus solely on finding permanent employment while collecting full benefits. Either way, maintain your 3 job search activities every week and document everything clearly. If the temp work is sporadic as you mentioned, having some income plus partial benefits might be better than no income while waiting for the perfect job. Just make sure your weekly claims are accurate regarding hours worked and earnings received.

BTW has anyone else noticed that the ESD website is CONSTANTLY under maintenance whenever you actaully need to use it?? I swear they do it on purpose to stop people from checking their claims lol

Quick update question for the original poster - has there been any movement on your claim status? Sometimes these recertifications suddenly process after sitting for weeks. Keep us posted if you get through to ESD or if your status changes.

Quick follow-up about adjudication: if your case is straightforward (like a standard layoff with your employer confirming everything), it might go faster than the 3-6 week estimate. Mine took just 2 weeks in September. But if there's any discrepancy between what you reported and what your employer reported, it definitely takes longer while they investigate.

One thing I learned from my adjudication process - sometimes they need additional information but don't tell you directly. It's worth checking your eServices account every few days and clicking on the "Notices/Letters" section to see if they've posted any requests there. Also check your spam folder for emails from ESD. I almost missed an important questionnaire because it went to spam, which would have delayed my claim even more.

when i waited 2 try again after working i had 2 do a whole new claim and they denied me cuz i didnt work enough hours at the new job but then i apealed and they let me have whats left on my old claim. the whole thing took like 6 weeks tho so start applying 4 jobs right away!!!

FINAL UPDATE: Finally got through to ESD! For anyone in a similar situation - they had me reopen my existing claim since my benefit year wasn't over. I had to provide details about my Oregon job and why I moved there and back. The agent said I still had 18 weeks of benefits remaining on my original claim. I need to serve a new waiting week, and then I can start claiming again! Thanks everyone for your help and advice!