One thing no one mentioned - check if you have the correct payment method set up in your account NOW. I won my appeal, waited 3 weeks, then discovered my direct deposit info was outdated with a closed bank account. Had to wait another 2 weeks after fixing that. Also make sure your address is current in case they need to mail you anything.

Just an update for anyone finding this thread later: Most appeal backpay is processing faster in 2025 than in previous years. The average time is now 17-21 days according to what an ESD supervisor told me last month. They've added more staff to the post-appeal processing team specifically because of the backlog issues in 2023-2024.

when I had this happen my aunt told me to just keep quiet cuz sometimes the computer makes mistakes in your favor and they never notice lolol but then i got hit with a HUGE bill later so don't listen to me

One more thing to check - are you sure it's actually an overpayment and not back pay for previous weeks that were pending? Sometimes ESD processes multiple weeks at once if there was a hold on your claim that got resolved. Check your payment history in eServices to see exactly what weeks the payment covers.

Just an update for anyone in a similar situation: I've seen appeal decision timelines vary significantly over the past year. The official OAH guideline is that decisions should be issued within 30 days of the hearing, but system backlogs can extend this timeline. Some factors that might affect your timeline: 1. Complexity of your case (simple eligibility issues tend to be faster) 2. Whether additional evidence was submitted after the hearing 3. Current OAH caseload and staffing 4. Whether the judge needed to research specific legal precedents If you reach the 30-day mark, I would definitely recommend contacting OAH directly rather than just ESD. Their contact info is on the hearing notice you received.

UPDATE: I followed the advice here and called OAH directly. The representative was actually really helpful! She checked my case and said the decision was made yesterday and is being mailed out today. She couldn't tell me what the decision was, but at least I know it's coming soon. Such a relief to know it's not lost in the system somewhere. Thanks everyone for the support and advice!

I used to work in a call center (not ESD but similar system) and this happens because they allocate specific staff for Spanish lines. So if 20% of staff is on Spanish lines but only 5% of callers use Spanish, of course those lines are more available. Wish they would just create a fair unified queue system but government tech is always 10 years behind. BTW if u have adjudication issues make sure to also check your ESD secure message portal daily. Sometimes they send questions there instead of calling, and if you don't respond in 5 days they can deny your claim automatically. Same with document upload requests.

lol i tried the spanish line trick 2day and when they called back the guy was like "¿Hola, cómo puedo ayudarte?" and i panicked and hung up 🤣 guess ill try again tomorrow and just say "english please" right away haha

u might want 2 contact ur state representative too!! my mom had a similr problem with L&I (not ESD but similar) and was getting nowhere for MONTHS!!! then she emailed our state rep and suddenly got a call back from a supervisor within 2 days. worth a try since its not costing u anything.

I'm confused about one thing - how much is the overpayment? If it's less than $1,000, sometimes it's not worth all this hassle and might be easier to just set up a small monthly payment plan. But if it's several thousand, definitely pursue the waiver aggressively. Also, check if they added penalties or interest to the original amount, as those can sometimes be waived separately from the principal amount.