Good luck OP! Keep us posted on what you find out when you contact Washington ESD. Your situation might help others in the same boat.

I'm in a similar situation - my benefits are ending in a few weeks and I'm really anxious about it. Reading through all these suggestions has been really helpful. I didn't know about the 211 service or some of the other resources mentioned here. It's reassuring to know there are options beyond just unemployment benefits, even if the job market is tough right now. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and advice!

At least you can file online now. My dad had to mail in paper forms back in the day!

One last thing - make sure you keep track of when your benefit year ends. You can't just keep filing weekly forever, there's a maximum number of weeks you can collect.

Thanks everyone for all the detailed explanations. This thread has been way more helpful than the ESD website for understanding how the duration actually works. I feel much more prepared to plan my job search now knowing I have 26 weeks to work with.

One thing to keep in mind is that Washington also has Extended Benefits (EB) that can kick in during periods of high unemployment, but those are tied to specific economic triggers and aren't available right now. The state unemployment rate has to hit certain thresholds for EB to activate. So while 26 weeks is the current limit, there could potentially be additional weeks available in the future if economic conditions worsen significantly. Just wanted to mention this since people were asking about extensions - they do exist in the system, just not currently active.

Edited to Add: Thank you everyone!! I knew there was going to be a delay cuz the office will be closed on Tuesday for the holiday, just wasn't sure how much as it's open on Monday. I'll plan for Thursday payment and adjust my bills. Really appreciate all the info!!

Just wanted to add that if you're really worried about the timing, you can also set up text alerts through your bank app to notify you as soon as deposits hit your account. That way you'll know right away when the payment comes through instead of constantly checking. Also, some credit unions are faster than big banks with processing ACH transfers, so if you have options it might be worth considering for future payments. Hope everything works out with your rent situation!

Update: I tried the Spanish line trick this morning and also tried the Claimyr service that someone mentioned above. The Spanish line still gave me the "we're too busy" message after one ring, but Claimyr actually got me through to an agent after about 45 minutes of waiting! The agent was able to see that my adjudication was delayed because they needed employment verification from my previous employer, who never responded to their request. They're expediting my case now and said I should have an update within 5-7 days. Thank you all for the suggestions!

So glad you were able to get through @Natasha! This is exactly why these community threads are so valuable - we help each other navigate this broken system. For anyone else still struggling, I've noticed that ESD sometimes updates their phone queue capacity around 2-3 PM on weekdays when agents return from extended breaks. Also worth noting that if your previous employer isn't responding to verification requests, you can often provide your own documentation (pay stubs, W-2s, etc.) to speed things up. Keep fighting everyone - the system is designed to wear us down but we can't give up!