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ESD forcing me to repay a year of benefits after school employer lied at hearing - will lose my house
I'm absolutely devastated and don't know where to turn. After losing my teaching job during COVID, I received unemployment benefits while searching for work and managing childcare challenges. I eventually found another teaching position but was later laid off from that job too. Now, ESD is demanding I repay ALL benefits (nearly $23,000) because my former employer claimed I quit voluntarily at the appeal hearing. They completely misrepresented our communication and ignored all the documentation I submitted! The first hearing actually ruled in my favor, but the school appealed and apparently my evidence (emails, texts showing I was laid off) wasn't considered in the second hearing. I've applied for a waiver but I'm terrified - repaying would mean losing our home. My children and I can't handle this. What's worse is that the payroll person who testified against me has a history of unethical behavior (caught altering timecards). Before the hearing, she even told me on the phone it "wouldn't matter" because I qualified for COVID relief! Can I sue the school for providing false testimony? Is the Unemployment Law Project able to help with this kind of situation? Has anyone successfully fought back against a former employer who lied at an ESD hearing?
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ESD direct deposits delayed this week? Holiday effect on unemployment payments?
Anyone know if unemployment direct deposits are gonna be delayed this week? I usually get mine on Wednesday but I heard somewhere there might be processing delays because of some system updates or something? Can't afford any surprises with rent due next week. Just wondering if anyone has inside info or experienced delays before. Thanks in advance!
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my sister works at a credit union and she said sometimes there are payment processing delays that aren't even ESD's fault - like ACH system stuff that affects all kinds of direct deposits. happened to me once with my tax refund too
That's a good point - could be anywhere in the system I guess. Just makes me nervous when the money doesn't show up when expected!
Just to follow up - my roommate's unemployment hit his account this morning (Thursday) instead of yesterday like usual, so there definitely seems to be a one-day delay for some people this week. Hope yours came through too!
YES! Just got mine about an hour ago. Crisis averted lol. Thanks everyone for the help!
ESD Appeal Hearing tomorrow - employer violated their own late policy - how to win?
I'm super stressed about my ESD appeal hearing scheduled for tomorrow morning (was originally set for next week). I got denied benefits because my employer claimed I was fired for being late "too frequently" but there's a lot more to the story that I think helps my case: 1. They have a written late policy with progressive discipline that they completely ignored. According to their own handbook, I should have received a two-day suspension next, not termination. 2. When my manager fired me, he never even mentioned tardiness as the reason! He literally just said I "wasn't a good fit for the office" - that's it. No specifics. 3. Their timekeeping was extremely inconsistent. The office manager would just glance at her phone or computer when I walked in and write it down somewhere. My boss wasn't even present on the days I worked! 4. I've discovered that several office computers show different times - none matching the official atomic clock time. On at least 2-3 dates they marked me "late" when I was actually on time according to my cell phone. I feel like these points should help me win my appeal, but I'm really nervous. Has anyone gone through an appeal hearing with similar circumstances? Any advice on how to present my case effectively? What kind of questions should I be prepared to answer? Thanks in advance for any help - hearing is at 9AM tomorrow!
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Went through an appeal back in January for something similar. One thing nobody mentioned yet - take notes during the entire hearing! The judge might make important comments or your employer might contradict themselves. Having detailed notes helped me when it was my turn to give closing remarks. Also, dress professionally even though it's probably going to be over the phone. It puts you in the right mindset. And have a glass of water nearby - your mouth gets dry when you're nervous talking for that long!
Great advice about taking notes! I won my appeal last month and taking detailed notes during my former employer's testimony revealed several contradictions that I was able to point out during my questioning. The judge specifically mentioned those inconsistencies in her decision letter granting me benefits.
ESD system says I have weekly claim to file after 26 weeks exhausted - what's going on?
I'm confused and hoping someone can explain what's happening with my ESD account. I've used up all my regular UI benefits (the full 26 weeks) but when I logged into my eServices account yesterday, it's telling me I have a weekly claim to file! Is this a glitch in the system or could I actually qualify for some kind of extension? My benefit year hasn't ended yet. I'm worried about filing something I shouldn't and then getting hit with an overpayment notice later. Has anyone else seen this happen after exhausting benefits?
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Just to follow up on what I wrote earlier - it's important to understand that there's a difference between your: 1. Benefit year (the 12-month period your claim is valid) 2. Maximum benefits amount (the total money you can receive during that year) 3. Weekly benefit amount (what you get each week) You can exhaust your maximum benefits (26 weeks worth) before your benefit year ends. The system often continues to allow weekly claims filing throughout your benefit year even with a $0 balance. This is actually by design, not a glitch. If you're worried about creating problems, calling ESD to confirm is the safest approach.
I really appreciate the detailed explanation. This clears up a lot of my confusion! I'll try calling tomorrow to make absolutely sure about my specific situation.
Did you get this resolved? Were you able to reach ESD? I'm curious what they said about your situation.
Yes! Finally got through to ESD yesterday. The agent confirmed exactly what some folks here suggested - my benefit year is still active but my regular UI benefits are exhausted. The system allows claims during the benefit year even with $0 remaining. The surprising part was they said I might qualify for a small amount of additional benefits based on my part-time work during my claim period. They're reviewing that now. Thanks everyone for the help!
Got approval after calling Governor Inslee's office - ESD claim finally processed!
Been stuck in ESD limbo for almost 7 weeks with my claim showing 'pending' the whole time. Called the regular ESD number probably 30+ times and either got disconnected or was told 'we'll escalate this' with zero results. Finally got desperate enough yesterday to call Governor Inslee's office (360-902-4111 extension 3) after seeing someone mention it on another forum. The person I spoke with was incredibly nice and took down all my info. They said they'd contact ESD's executive team directly. I was skeptical but literally CHECKED MY ACCOUNT THIS MORNING AND MY CLAIM IS APPROVED! Shows 'pending payment' now! If you're stuck in ESD hell like I was, try the governor's office - they actually seem to care and get results when the regular channels fail. I almost gave up and am still in shock this actually worked.
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Did anyone have to provide any special information when calling the governor's office? Like, do I need my claim ID, social security number, etc.? I want to be prepared before I call tomorrow. Also, should I mention that someone on a forum recommended calling, or just explain my situation?
Have your claim ID ready for sure. I also had my SSN, the date I filed, and a brief timeline of all the ways I'd already tried to resolve it (dates I called ESD, messages I'd sent, etc.). Just explain your situation honestly - that you've tried all the normal channels and are stuck. You don't need to mention the forum. The person I spoke with seemed very familiar with helping people with ESD issues, so this isn't uncommon.
What's the difference between "approval" and "pending payment"? Mine has said pending for like 3 weeks now but I haven't received any money. Will it actually pay out or is this just another step where it can get stuck?
Pending" payment means your claim has been approved and payment has been authorized, but the funds'haven t been released yet. This typically takes 2-3 business days for direct deposit or 3-5 days for debit cards. If'it s been pending payment for more than a week,'I d recommend contacting ESD to see if'there s an issue with your payment method. Make sure your direct deposit information is accurate in thesystem.
Aisha Mahmood
wait im confused... if u were laid off from the first school and then worked at a second school and then got laid off again, shouldn't your unemployment claim have been updated? like the second school would be the one responsible for ur benefits after u worked there right? something seems off with how esd calculated this. did they think u were still claiming benefits while working at the second school maybe?
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Diego Flores
AuthorYou picked up on something important! That's exactly what I've been trying to explain to ESD. Most of my benefits came after being laid off from the second school, but they're treating it like one continuous claim from the first school. The first school is challenging the whole thing even though they shouldn't be responsible for benefits after I started the second job. The math makes no sense! I think this is part of the confusion in my case.
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Anastasia Kozlov
After reading all the details you've shared, I think there's a critical technical issue that might help your case. It sounds like there's been a failure to properly segment your claim periods between employers. Each period of unemployment should be treated as a separate claim event with different base year employers. If most of your benefits came after being laid off from the second school, then the first school should have no standing to contest those benefits. I'd recommend specifically requesting a "segregation of claim periods" review when you contact ESD or the Unemployment Law Project. This is a technical distinction that sometimes gets overlooked in complicated multi-employer cases. Also, if you have any pay stubs or hire/termination documentation from the second school, make sure those are front and center in your appeal. The dates of employment at the second school are crucial to establishing that the first school's testimony should only apply to a small portion of your total benefits, if any.
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Diego Flores
AuthorThis is incredibly helpful information! I've never heard of a "segregation of claim periods" review but it sounds exactly like what I need. I do have all my documentation from both schools including exact start/end dates. I'll make sure to specifically mention this when I speak with ULP. Thank you so much for this insight!
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