


Ask the community...
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIGGED AGAINST US!!! I've been saying this for YEARS!!! They DELIBERATELY make it impossible to reach them and they DELIBERATELY use these old "issues" to deny benefits so they don't have to pay out!!! It's all about protecting their precious trust fund and making claimants suffer. I bet they have performance metrics for adjusters based on how many claims they DENY rather than approve!!
Do you really think it's intentional? I mean that's scary if true. I've been trying to get through for weeks and starting to feel like they're ignoring me on purpose...
While ESD definitely has serious system and process problems, there's no evidence of intentional claim suppression. The real issue is that their technology infrastructure dates back to the 1980s with layers of patches and workarounds added over decades. The legislature hasn't funded a complete system overhaul that's desperately needed. The current system was designed for traditional employment patterns, not the modern workforce with multiple jobs, gig work, etc. That's what causes most of these problems, not malicious intent.
UPDATE: Called my state representative's office today and they're collecting similar stories about ESD system problems to present at the next workforce committee meeting. If you've experienced similar issues with old claims affecting new ones, send your story to your rep! Maybe if enough of us complain, they'll finally update their systems.
When I was struggling with similar concerns last year, I found that the ESD website has a section where they post official announcements about program changes. Nothing showing there about benefit reductions. My claim was stuck pending for weeks though and I couldn't get answers until I finally got through to an actual person. If you're having trouble reaching ESD by phone, try claimyr.com - they helped me get through when I kept getting busy signals for days. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 that shows how it works.
I tried Claimyr after seeing your earlier comment and got through to ESD in about 30 mins! The agent was able to see that my adjudication was actually complete but the system hadn't updated my dashboard. My payment should be released next week! Wish I'd known about this service 7 weeks ago...
One important detail to understand: Unemployment benefits have two components - the state base program (stable, funded by employer taxes) and potential federal extensions (which do come and go with legislation). Right now, we're only operating under the base state program since all pandemic extensions ended. This base program has been remarkably consistent for decades, with only minor tweaks. Your current benefits come from the stable state program, not the more volatile federal extensions.
my cousin had this happen!!! try contacting ur state representative they can sometimes help speed things up with esd. also check if theres any alerts or messages in ur eservices account sometimes they need info but dont email u about it
For what it's worth, I successfully claimed unemployment between accepting a job offer and my actual start date (which was 3 weeks later). Just reported that I had accepted an offer with the future start date when filing my weekly claim. Had zero issues with eligibility - the system is designed to handle this situation. Adding one thing about your payment problem - check if you have any outstanding "tasks" in your eServices account. Sometimes these can be hidden in a tab that's not obvious. Also, have you moved recently or changed your address? That can trigger extra verification.
Paolo Conti
my cousin works for esd (not in claims tho) and she says they have MASSIVE backlog still from all the system updates they did in January. like thousands of claims just sitting in queues. its not just you!!
0 coins
Yara Haddad
•That's somewhat comforting to know it's not just me, but also terrifying that there are thousands of us stuck in this situation. You'd think they'd staff up appropriately when doing system updates!
0 coins
Amina Sow
Update on my earlier advice: After you contact your state representatives, make sure you sign a privacy release form they'll send you. They can't intervene with ESD on your behalf without this authorization. Also, when you speak with the Governor's office again, ask specifically for a "direct escalation to adjudication supervisor review" - this specific language sometimes triggers a different process than a standard escalation. Lastly, continue filing your weekly claims without fail. When your adjudication is eventually resolved (and it will be), you'll only be paid for weeks you properly certified.
0 coins
Yara Haddad
•Thank you for the follow-up. I'll definitely use that exact phrasing with the Governor's office tomorrow. And yes, I've been religious about filing my weekly claims, even though it feels pointless sometimes. I'm just worried about running out of savings before this gets resolved.
0 coins