my cousin had this same problem last month and he said what worked was logging in very early in the morning like 5am when the system isnt busy. also make sure ur using a laptop not phone, the mobile site is terrible

Just following up - were you able to get your claim started? If you're still having issues, remember that once you do get your partial unemployment claim approved, you'll need to: 1. File a weekly claim every week, even with reduced hours 2. Report ALL earnings for the week accurately 3. Be aware that your first week is a waiting week (unpaid) 4. If you requested standby status, you'll still need to be available for any work your regular employer might offer Also, with partial unemployment, you can earn up to 1/3 of your weekly benefit amount without reduction. After that, your benefit is reduced dollar for dollar. This is important to calculate so you understand what your payments will be.

my friend had a claim stuck forever last month and he went to his WorkSource office in person and they helped him figure out what was going on. might be worth trying if the phone calls aren't working??

UPDATE: I want to thank everyone who replied! Based on your advice, I: 1. Uploaded my old and new schedules showing the hours reduction 2. Found and uploaded an email where I questioned the reduction 3. Uploaded my final paystub 4. Contacted my state representative's office (they were super helpful!) 5. Used Claimyr to finally speak with an actual ESD agent The agent confirmed my documents were received and that my claim is being prioritized now. She said the hours reduction definitely qualifies as good cause, especially since I had documentation. The legislative inquiry seems to have helped too. The agent said I should see movement within a week! I'll update again when I hear more, but wanted to thank this community for the guidance when I was feeling completely lost.

Update: I talked with my attorney again and we're definitely going to file the waiver request. She says even though the decision says it can't be waived, that only applies to the appeal itself, not to the separate waiver process. I'll gather all my financial documents and proof that I reported correctly to include with the request. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's given me hope that this might work out after all!

Sorta off topic but did your lawyer charge a lot to help with the ESD stuff? My husband is dealing with a similar issue ($4800 overpayment) and we're wondering if hiring an attorney is worth it or if we should just handle it ourselves.

my neighbor had something similar happen and what got her through the long wait for benefits was calling her utility companies, landlord, etc and explaining the situation. lots of places have hardship programs if you're waiting for unemployment to kick in. might be worth looking into before you're in a desperate situation?

One important thing to know is that if your employer contests your claim, ESD will schedule a fact-finding interview. This is when both you and your employer present your side of the story. Many people miss these calls because ESD often only gives a few days' notice, and if you miss it, your claim could be denied automatically. Once you file, check your ESD account and messages DAILY and answer any ESD phone calls even if you don't recognize the number. They often call from unmarked or blocked numbers. If you miss their call, there's usually no easy way to reschedule and it can add weeks to your claim processing time.

nice! glad it worked out

Great news! That's the typical timeframe with most banks. Glad everything worked out as expected.