Waiting 23 weeks on my first unemployment payment (Seattle)

I was laid off as a graphic designer and filed right away, and I have been certifying every week. The page shows my claim as open but no payment date. Has anyone been through this? How long did it take in the end?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.

When I finally got through, the agent said my employer had responded late. Once that cleared, back pay came in one payment.