That's good advice, thank you. I've been diligently doing my 3 job search activities every week and logging them, even though it feels pointless sometimes with the claim denied. I really hope this pays off in the end when I win the appeal.

This is really helpful advice about citing specific WAC sections! I'm new to all this legal stuff but I'm learning fast out of necessity. Do you happen to know if there's a specific format I should follow when citing those WAC sections in my petition? I want to make sure I'm doing everything correctly since this feels like my last real chance to get this overturned. The employer contradictions are definitely my strongest point - they literally said one thing to ESD initially and then completely changed their story during the hearing when they realized their first version didn't support a misconduct finding.

Welcome to the community! Your situation is so similar to what many of us newcomers are going through - it's both reassuring and frustrating to see how widespread these massive pay cuts are in current job offers. At just 3 weeks into unemployment with a sub-50% salary offer, you're in an excellent position to refuse based on the legal protections everyone has outlined here. Your documentation plan sounds spot-on, and I love how you've already calculated that taking this job would actually worsen your financial situation compared to benefits. That's exactly the kind of clear evidence that supports the "unsuitable work" determination. I'm also new here and have been following this thread closely as I navigate a similar decision. The collective wisdom and real experiences shared by everyone has been invaluable. It's such a relief to find a community where people understand the stress of these decisions and can provide practical, legally-grounded advice. Best of luck with your weekly claim filing! Based on everything shared here, you have a very strong case for refusal. Keep us updated on how it goes - your experience will definitely help other newcomers who find themselves in similar situations.

Welcome to the community! Your situation is practically identical to the original poster and so many of us newcomers here. At just 2 weeks into unemployment with a 50% pay cut offer, you're in an even stronger position than most - well within that 90% protection threshold that's been mentioned throughout this thread. Regarding your question about ESD investigation timelines - from what others have shared here, if they do decide to investigate a job refusal, it typically goes into adjudication which can take several weeks to resolve. However, given the current staffing shortages mentioned earlier in the thread, it might take even longer. The good news is that with such a clear-cut case (50% pay reduction that wouldn't cover basic expenses), most investigations would likely resolve in your favor anyway. Your documentation strategy sounds perfect - having that engineering salary vs offered salary comparison along with your expense breakdown will make it crystal clear why this work is unsuitable. The math speaks for itself when you're looking at a $53k annual shortfall compared to your previous income. Keep us posted on how your weekly claim goes! Your experience will definitely help other newcomers navigating similar decisions. This community has been such a lifeline for understanding these complex situations.

Religious nonprofits that provide social services definitely have different rules than traditional churches! The fact that they were deducting unemployment taxes from your paychecks is actually really encouraging - that's usually a clear sign they were participating in the standard UI system. When Washington ESD mentions "complications," it could just be that their system automatically flags any organization with "religious" in the name for manual review, even when they're legitimately paying into unemployment insurance. I'd recommend asking them specifically what documentation they need to resolve this. Getting a copy of your most recent paystub or W-2 showing the SUTA/UI deductions could help clear things up quickly. Don't let the "religious exemption" language scare you - if they were taking unemployment taxes out of your pay, you should be eligible for benefits!

Your situation sounds frustrating but promising! Since unemployment taxes were being deducted from your paychecks, that's usually a dead giveaway that your employer was participating in the UI system. Religious nonprofits that do community service work often operate more like regular employers compared to traditional churches. The "complications" Washington ESD mentioned might just be their system being overly cautious with faith-based organizations. I'd suggest gathering your recent paystubs showing the UI deductions and maybe even your year-end tax documents - having that proof should help resolve any confusion quickly. Sometimes these cases just need a human to review the file and confirm everything is legitimate.

This is such great advice! I really like the idea of contacting the church's HR/payroll person first - that would definitely make the ESD conversation go much smoother if I already know their status going in. I've been putting off digging through my old paystubs but you're absolutely right that finding those SUI deductions would be the clearest evidence. It's also reassuring to hear that you eventually got your benefits approved even though it took some persistence. I was starting to worry I'd hit a dead end, but your experience gives me hope that this is solvable with the right approach. Thanks for sharing your story and the practical tips!

This is really encouraging to hear! I've been feeling so overwhelmed by this whole situation, but your step-by-step approach makes it seem much more manageable. I'm definitely going to start by contacting the church's finance office tomorrow - they should be able to give me a straight answer about their unemployment status. And you're right about checking my paystubs first; I have them all in a folder somewhere, just need to dig them out and look for those tax deductions. It's also good to know that I might need to ask for a supervisor at ESD if the first person isn't familiar with religious employer cases. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience - it gives me a clear action plan and hope that this will work out!

Glad you got answers! Important note about appeals - you normally have only 30 days from the date of the original overpayment notice to file an appeal. Since you never received that notice, you should request that they reset the appeal timeline based on the date you were actually notified (today). Make this request in writing ASAP and keep documentation of it. When you receive the paperwork, check carefully for any calculations about your reported hours vs. what your employer reported - that's often where the discrepancies occur.

Thank you! That's extremely helpful advice. I'll make that written request today and will document everything carefully going forward. I appreciate everyone's help with this frustrating situation!

Welcome to the community, Diego! Sorry you're dealing with this nightmare too. The $380 they took from you is really significant - I totally understand the fear of not knowing the total amount. From what I've learned here, definitely try that collections number (1-866-697-4831) that Javier mentioned, and document everything in writing about not receiving proper notice. It seems like so many of us pandemic claimants are getting hit all at once. Keep us posted on what you find out - your experience might help others who are just discovering these surprise deductions. We're all in this together!

Agreed, the system definitely needs reform. In the meantime though, people still need to get their issues resolved somehow.

Exactly why services like that Claimyr thing exist - to work around a broken system that should be fixed but isn't.

The multiple phones strategy is actually genius - why didn't I think of that? I've been wasting so much time with just one phone. Do you call the same number on all phones or try different numbers? And yeah, that 3-hour disconnect feels like they're actively trying to prevent us from getting help. It's like they designed the worst possible system on purpose.

Identity verification stuck since MARCH?? That's absolutely insane! I thought my 2+ weeks was bad but you've been waiting months. The multiple phone strategy is smart though - I might try that too. Have you gotten any response at all from the online messaging system or is that just as useless as the phones? This whole thing is making me lose faith in the system entirely.