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THE WHOLE ESD SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!! I appealed an $8K overpayment in 2024 and waited FIVE MONTHS for a hearing, and the judge just rubber-stamped whatever ESD said!!! They claimed I didn't report some income but I HAD THE PROOF I DID and they still ruled against me. Now they're taking 25% of my paycheck AND charging interest!!! The appeal process is just for show - they ALWAYS side with ESD. Document EVERYTHING and record all phone calls (WA is a two-party state so tell them you're recording). The system is designed to frustrate you into giving up.
I'm getting really worried reading all this. I have my hearing in two weeks for a similar amount. @profile2 - did you have a representative or attorney at your hearing? I'm wondering if I should get one...
@profile5 You don't necessarily need an attorney for an ESD hearing, but it can help with complex cases. The Unemployment Law Project offers free/low-cost legal help for unemployment appeals: https://unemploymentlawproject.org/
Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I called ESD today using that Claimyr service mentioned below (which actually worked!), and they confirmed what @profile1 said - no interest during the appeal process. The agent also let me know my hearing is tentatively scheduled for early November, about 4 months from when I filed the appeal. I'm going to start gathering all my documentation now. I'll update this thread after my hearing in case it helps anyone else going through this process.
Good luck with your hearing! One more tip: the judge will often ask if you want to negotiate a settlement with ESD before the hearing starts. Sometimes they'll reduce the overpayment amount substantially if you agree not to contest it. Worth considering depending on how strong your case is.
No, I represented myself. My case was pretty straightforward - they disqualified me because they thought I quit, but I had documentation proving I was laid off. The judge was fair and listened to my evidence. I think it depends on how complicated your case is.
Just to add to my earlier comment - the ESD website won't update your weeks from 'disqualified' to 'paid' all at once. It's normal to see them change status in batches as they're processed. And sometimes they'll all update at once right before payment is issued. The important thing is having your appeal decision number and the date it was finalized ready when you call, as this helps them locate where your case is in the processing queue.
To give you the official answer: You should file your weekly claim through the Sunday before you start work. During that claim, you'll need to answer "yes" to the question asking if you've accepted an offer of work, and provide the date you'll start. As long as you answer all questions truthfully, you're following the proper procedure. When you start work on Monday, you'll stop filing weekly claims. If for some reason your job falls through, you can restart your claim process, but you'd need to explain the gap in filing.
Anastasia Sokolov
my friend had this exact thing happen in 2025 and he called esd and told them it was a hardship situation and they rushed it through in like 10 days. just say ur about to be evicted or something they sometimes have ways to speed it up
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Chloe Taylor
•Just to clarify - while ESD does have hardship procedures for certain situations, misrepresenting your circumstances could potentially cause problems with your claim. It's better to be honest about your actual financial situation if you request expedited processing.
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Freya Larsen
Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I've started documenting my job searches better and am going to try Claimyr to get someone on the phone tomorrow. I'll update when I know more about my claim status. Fingers crossed it doesn't take the full 6+ weeks again - I just can't afford that kind of gap right now.
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Omar Hassan
•Good luck! Hope it works out for you. Let us know what happens.
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