Unemployment: Too many Washingtonians left hanging

There are thousands of people who are pending in adjudication prior to discovery of Washington’s unemployment fraud problem.

I have seen many posts from Facebook groups, most from people who have not been paid for over 12 weeks due to being in adjudication because the Employment Security Department needs further information.

Many of these people have no income and have incurred bank overdrafts, credit card late fees or vehicles being repossessed.

ESD made it a priority to recover funds from fraud, then a priority to pay people who were in adjudication for identity verification. But there are thousands still sitting in adjudication since March who haven’t been paid because they have a problem with their claims.

Most of these claims are simple and can be easily corrected, yet it’s the last thing on the priority list for ESD.

Phone lines are always busy, and even if you get through after an hour or more on hold, you’re told: We can’t help you; you’ll have to wait.

This is totally unacceptable! The Employment Security Department has failed the people.

This story was originally published June 13, 2020 at 7:45 PM with the headline "Unemployment: Too many Washingtonians left hanging."