Appeals don't affect current benefits but they take FOREVER! Mine took 12 weeks last year and I lost anyway. Just warning you to be prepared for a long wait.

One thing to note - if you DO lose the appeal, you can request a waiver of the overpayment if repaying it would cause financial hardship. There's a special form for this on the ESD website. They don't advertise this option much but it's definitely available if you truly can't afford to repay.

btw did anyone tell u that u need to keep doing ur job search activities even during adjudication?? u still gotta do the 3 job search things each week or they can deny u for that reason even if the discharge issue gets approved

Just wanted to follow up on this thread. Based on your situation, here's what you should expect: 1. Your claim will likely enter adjudication for 2-4 weeks 2. An ESD adjudicator may call you to get your side of the story 3. They'll also contact your employer for their version 4. Since 'not a culture fit' is generally considered a non-disqualifying reason, you should be approved 5. Once approved, you'll receive all back payments for the weeks you claimed If for some reason your claim stays in adjudication for more than 4 weeks, that's when you should consider more aggressive follow-up. The documentation you've uploaded should be sufficient, but the ESD backlog can sometimes cause delays.

Have you tried contacting your state representative? When my husband's claim was stuck for over a month, I emailed our state rep's office and they actually helped escalate the issue. Had it resolved within a week after that. Just a thought!

UPDATE: I finally got through this morning! For anyone else struggling, here's what worked: I followed the advice to call right at 8:00am, but I also used a different phone than I had been using previously. Not sure if that made a difference, but I finally got into the queue instead of getting disconnected. Waited on hold for 47 minutes but eventually spoke with an agent who was actually very helpful. Turns out there was an issue with my ID verification that needed to be resolved. They're expediting my claim now and said I should see movement in the next 2-3 business days. Thank you everyone for the advice and support!

Anyone know if this delay affects standby status too? I'm on standby with my employer and worried this might mess up my return to work date somehow.

UPDATE: Mine finally changed to 'paid' status this morning! So it took about 48 hours instead of the usual 24. Just wanted to let everyone know in case you're still waiting on yours.

when i had this problem i just kept uploading my documents every few days and eventually it cleared. i think sometimes they just miss seeing them the first time because of how many they're processing

Just checking in - any updates? Were you able to get your ID verification cleared?