I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - got laid off in June and expecting a severance/bonus combo payment next month. This thread has been incredibly helpful! One question I haven't seen addressed yet: does the timing of when you actually RECEIVE the payment matter for reporting purposes? Like if the payment is dated for a Friday but doesn't hit my bank account until the following Monday, which week should I report it on? I want to make sure I'm reporting it on the correct weekly claim to avoid any issues. Also, has anyone had experience with ESD asking for bank statements to verify when you actually received the funds vs when they were issued?

I just went through this exact situation a few months ago! The key thing to remember is that ESD will likely put your claim on hold temporarily to review the lump sum payment, so don't panic when that happens. When I reported my severance + bonus combo (mine was about $9k total), they sent me a questionnaire asking me to break down exactly what each payment was for. I had to provide my final paystub and a letter from HR detailing the severance terms vs the bonus calculation. The whole review process took about 3 weeks, but once they sorted it out, my benefits resumed normally. Just make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even during the review period - don't stop filing just because your benefits are on hold or reduced to zero. That was the mistake I almost made!

Update us when you figure out what caused the adjudication. One other thing worth knowing: adjudication time frames have increased lately. ESD's current estimate is 3-6 weeks for resolution, though it can be shorter if your issue is simple. While waiting, make sure you continue to file weekly claims by the deadlines - if you're eventually approved, you'll receive back payments for all eligible weeks you claimed.

That's great news that you finally got some answers! It's amazing how much stress gets lifted when you at least know what's causing the delay. The employer not providing a return date initially makes total sense - that's probably one of the most common causes of adjudication for standby claims. 7-10 business days is way better than the horror stories some people have shared here. Definitely keep filing those weekly claims like the agent said. Once this gets resolved, you should get all that back pay at once. Thanks for sharing the Claimyr recommendation too - sounds like it really works for getting through to ESD when you're stuck.

I went through this exact same situation about a month ago! Got approved after 5 weeks of adjudication and then had to wait another few days for the actual payment. In my case, I was approved on a Tuesday and the money hit my account that Friday (3 business days). The key thing is to make sure all your banking info is correct in your profile - any issues there will delay it even more. Also, don't panic if the back pay comes in weird amounts or on different days, that's totally normal. The system processes everything in batches. You're so close to the finish line after all that waiting!

I'm in a similar situation - just got approved yesterday after 7 weeks of waiting! It's such a relief to finally see that status change. From what I'm reading here, it sounds like most people are getting their first payment within 2-4 business days, which gives me hope. I've been filing my weekly claims the whole time so hopefully all that back pay processes smoothly. The hardest part was not knowing if I'd ever get approved, but now it's just a matter of waiting a few more days. Thanks everyone for sharing your timelines - it really helps to know what to expect!

Thanks everyone for all the input! This has been really helpful. I think I'm going to take the severance package and file for unemployment right after my last day. I'll make sure to document everything and be completely honest about the circumstances on my application. Fingers crossed Washington ESD sees it as involuntary separation!

I went through this exact situation in Washington about 6 months ago. The key thing that helped my case was getting a letter from HR stating that the severance was offered as part of a "workforce reduction program" rather than just calling it voluntary separation. Even though I chose to take the package, Washington ESD approved my claim because they recognized it was essentially a layoff with the option to take severance or wait to be terminated. I'd suggest asking your HR department for documentation that clearly states this is related to company downsizing/layoffs, not just a voluntary departure program. That documentation made all the difference for me.

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! Filed my claim in early March after being laid off from my job due to company downsizing, and every single weekly claim has shown "disqualified" for over a month now. Just like you, I received the monetary determination quickly but then complete silence from ESD. What's really frustrating is that I've been doing everything by the book - filing my weekly claims on time, completing all required job search activities, answering all questions honestly - yet the system keeps marking me as disqualified with zero explanation anywhere. After reading all these responses, it's become crystal clear that ESD's notification system is completely broken. The fact that so many people have had missing questionnaires, unreported employer disputes, and other hidden issues they were never notified about is absolutely terrifying. How are we supposed to respond to things we don't even know exist? I'm definitely going to try the 8 AM calling strategy everyone's mentioned. At this point it seems like speaking to a human is literally the only way to find out what's actually wrong with our claims. It's ridiculous that we have to fight this hard just to get basic information about our own unemployment benefits. Thanks for posting about this - it's both comforting and scary to know so many of us are dealing with the same mysterious "disqualified" status. Hopefully we'll all get through to someone soon and get our back pay!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Filed my claim in mid-February after being let go from my restaurant job (they said it was due to "restructuring") and every single weekly claim has been showing "disqualified" for the past 6 weeks. Just like everyone else here, I got my monetary determination letter within days but then absolutely nothing else from ESD. What's really scary after reading all these responses is realizing there could be some issue they need me to address - maybe my former employer is contesting it, maybe there's a questionnaire I never received, maybe the system randomly flagged something - and I'd have zero way of knowing because their notification system is clearly completely broken. I've been religiously checking my eServices account and there's literally nothing there indicating any problems. No pending issues, no messages, no documents needed - just weeks and weeks of "disqualified" status with no explanation whatsoever. I'm definitely going to try the 8 AM calling strategy everyone's mentioned here. It sounds like that's literally our only option to get real answers about what's happening with our claims. The fact that we have to fight this hard just to get basic information about our own unemployment benefits is absolutely insane, but at least it's reassuring to know from everyone's experiences that once you actually reach a human being, these mysterious issues usually get resolved pretty quickly and the back pay does come through. Thanks for posting this - it really helps to know so many of us are stuck in the same frustrating limbo!