I actually came here looking for information about standby status but saw your post and wanted to chime in. My daughter went through something very similar with a toxic boss at her accounting firm. Her anxiety got so bad she had to quit. For her appeal, she had her therapist write a detailed letter explaining how the workplace conditions directly impacted her mental health. That seemed to make a big difference - she won her appeal. Maybe ask your doctor for something similar?

Thank you all for the helpful advice! I've started putting together my appeal packet with: 1. Timeline of harassment incidents with manager 2. Copies of both HR complaints 3. Email showing my denied transfer request 4. Doctor's notes and anxiety diagnosis 5. Text messages from coworkers who witnessed some incidents I'm going to ask my doctor for a more detailed letter specifically connecting my anxiety to the workplace harassment. And I'll definitely keep filing my weekly claims while this is all happening. Still nervous about the hearing, but feeling much more prepared now. Will update once I have a decision!

another thing - i think someone else kinda said this but make sure u keep filing claims until ur working full time (32+ hrs). u can still get partial benefits if ur hours are low at first

Just to add one more important detail - when reporting your work activity, you'll need to enter your hours and gross earnings (before any deductions). For the earnings, use your hourly rate × hours worked that day if you don't have a pay stub yet. Remember that ESD considers you to be "unemployed" for that week if you work less than full-time hours AND your earnings are less than your weekly benefit amount + $5 (or 15% of your weekly benefit, whichever is greater). So with only one day of work, you should still receive a significant portion of your benefits for that week.

just a heads up but sometimes backpay comes in separate deposits over a couple days if its for multiple weeks so dont panic if you only see partial payment at first

One more thing to note: If you filed your weekly claims correctly during the adjudication period, the back payments should process automatically now that your claim has been approved. However, if you missed filing any weekly claims during that time, you'll need to contact ESD to request backdating for those weeks. You won't automatically get paid for weeks you didn't file a claim for, even if you were eligible for those weeks.

Quick update on current timelines - I'm a volunteer at WorkSource and we're seeing OAH appeals averaging about 9 weeks total right now (early 2025). That's a bit faster than the 12+ weeks we were seeing last year. Make sure your contact information is current in both your eServices account AND with OAH directly (they're separate systems).

btw did u know u can check ur appeal status online? go to oah.wa.gov and click on "check appeal status" - u need ur case # which should be in the confirmation email u got when u filed the appeal.

wait so does this mean the tax withholding is still being reported correctly on our 1099-Gs for tax purposes? i don't want any issues when i file my taxes next year

I had thsi exact same question last month when i started getting benefits! Asked my friend who works at a bank and she said its nothing to worry about just dumb governmetn labeling. She said intercepts dont show up on your credit report anyway unless they're actual garnishments for things like defaulted student loans or something. Tax withholding definitely doesnt affect your credit either way.