While you're working on your appeal, don't forget to keep applying for jobs and doing your job search activities. If you win the appeal, you'll need to show you were meeting the job search requirements for all those weeks to get paid for them. The system is definitely frustrating, but staying on top of all the requirements will help if you eventually win.

I'm really sorry you're dealing with this financial stress on top of an unfair decision. One thing I wanted to add - when you're writing your Petition for Review, make sure to cite specific WAC sections that support your case. For example, if this was a misconduct case, WAC 192-150-200 outlines what constitutes misconduct and the burden of proof requirements. Also, if your employer gave contradictory statements between what they told ESD initially versus their hearing testimony, that's a huge point in your favor. The Commissioner's office takes inconsistent employer testimony very seriously. Keep your chin up - the fact that you have documented evidence and clear employer contradictions gives you a much stronger case than many people who appeal. Focus on the legal errors and factual inconsistencies rather than the emotional impact (as hard as that is), and you'll have the best shot at success.

Just wanted to add that you also need to keep track of your job search activities even while working part-time. Don't skip the work search requirements just because you have some income coming in.

Just want to emphasize how important it is to report your part-time earnings correctly from the very beginning. When you file your weekly claims, make sure to report the gross amount you earned for the week you actually worked (not when you received payment). Washington ESD's system will automatically calculate your partial benefit using their formula. I've seen people get confused about reporting timing, but it's always based on when you performed the work. Also keep all your pay stubs and records - you might need them later if ESD has any questions about your reported earnings.

Update: I FINALLY got through to ESD this morning after trying for 4 days straight! Turns out I do have an overpayment from 2021. They said I reported my hours incorrectly for 8 weeks during the pandemic (although I'm positive I entered everything correctly). Total overpayment is $2,450 and they're taking 30% of each payment until it's paid off. They're supposed to be sending me the full documentation in the mail. At least now I know what I'm dealing with, though I'm definitely going to appeal this since I don't think I made any mistakes on my claims.

This is such a widespread issue right now! I'm a newcomer to this community but dealing with the exact same problem. ESD just took $380 from my benefits last week with zero explanation. I collected pandemic unemployment in 2020 when my restaurant job was eliminated, and I was so careful to report everything correctly because I was terrified of making mistakes. Now they're saying I owe money but won't tell me why or how much total. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both reassuring (I'm not alone) and terrifying (some of you owe thousands!). Going to try calling that collections number tomorrow and also look into the Claimyr service someone mentioned. Thanks for sharing your stories - it helps to know others are fighting this too.

Bottom line - don't expect unemployment to replace your full income. Plan for getting maybe 40-50% of what you were making and budget accordingly. And start looking for work immediately because the job search requirements are real.

Just wanted to add that the calculation can be even more confusing if you had multiple jobs or irregular hours. I was working two part-time jobs when I got laid off from one, and figuring out which quarters counted and how the wages were reported took forever. The ESD system doesn't always make it clear how they're counting wages from different employers. If you have a complex work history, definitely try to get someone on the phone to walk through it with you.

I work in HR and manage our company's WorkShare program. To answer your question about company participation levels - yes, companies need to maintain at least 50% of employees participating in the program for it to remain active. However, temporary fluctuations in hours don't affect this calculation as long as employees remain enrolled. For individual weeks where an employee falls below the hour threshold, they typically default to regular UI for that week only. Our company had this exact situation last quarter during a supply chain disruption. As long as we properly documented it, our employees continued receiving benefits without interruption.

I'm dealing with a similar WorkShare situation right now and found this thread really helpful! Just wanted to add that when I called ESD (finally got through after using that Claimyr service someone mentioned), they told me that the system is actually designed to handle these temporary hour drops automatically. The agent said as long as your employer properly certifies that work wasn't available, you shouldn't have any gaps in benefits - it just switches you between WorkShare and regular UI seamlessly. The key is making sure your employer knows to select "insufficient work available" or whatever the exact wording is on their weekly certification. My HR person didn't know about this initially, so it's worth having a conversation with them to make sure they're reporting it correctly.