That's a great idea! I didn't know you could file a complaint about the delays. Do you know if he sent it through eServices or was it a separate process?

He sent an actual letter through certified mail to the OAH office in Olympia, and also faxed a copy. Made it very formal and specifically mentioned financial hardship with documentation (eviction notice). The regular appeals process people won't tell you about this option, but it exists!

For what it's worth, I work in career services and have helped many clients navigate UI while taking classes. The one-hour class shouldn't be a problem, but I strongly recommend reporting it accurately. If your class is job-related training, you might also want to record it as one of your job search activities in your job search log. This creates a record showing that the class is actually helping, not hindering, your employment prospects. Remember that the underlying principle is always whether you remain able and available for full-time suitable work. As long as that's true, and you're honest about your activities, you should be fine.

Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I'm going to make sure I report the class on my weekly claim and explain that it's just one hour per week and doesn't affect my availability for work. I'll also add it to my job search log since it's directly related to skills in my field. Really appreciate all the advice and experiences shared here!

just wondering did anyone elses back unemployment payments get taxed at a weird rate? when i got mine last year it seemed like they withheld way more than 10% for taxes, more like 25% or something?? confused about that too

Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! Based on what I'm hearing, it sounds like I need to include this on my 2026 taxes rather than trying to amend 2025. I think I'll consult with a tax professional just to be safe, especially regarding potential impacts on credits and deductions. This unemployment appeal process has been so much more complicated than I expected!

ya this happened 2 me 2 months ago & i reopened my claim just fine. got paid the next week no problems. just make sure he does his weekly claim this sunday

Update: We got through to ESD (after many busy signals) and they confirmed he did the right thing by reopening! They said his first payment should come about 7-10 days after filing his first weekly claim if there are no issues. Thanks everyone for your help! I'll update again if we run into problems.

i had this exact thing happen in january and let me tell u what worked for me, go to ur local worksource office in PERSON and ask for a training specialist. dont mess with the regular ESD phone line theres a special department for training cases and the worksource peeps can connect u direct. got mine fixed in like 3 days after spending weeks trying to do it online.

one more thing to check - make sure ur husband is answering the able and available question right on his weekly claims. for training benefit people u have to say YES even tho ur in school full time. my friend got denied because she was answering no since she couldnt work while in school. its super confusing!!

did u get ur hours fixed yet?

This happened to my brother too but in reverse - he accidentally reported FEWER hours than he actually worked. ESD flagged it as potential fraud and he had to do a fact-finding interview! So definitely important to be accurate with those weekly claims.

One important thing to note - when dealing with overpayment increases, you need to determine if they're adding what's called a "fraud penalty" (50% additional) or if they're recalculating the entire overpayment amount. In my experience, the key is getting written documentation. Every time you speak with ESD: 1. Get the agent's ID number 2. Take detailed notes with dates/times 3. Immediately follow up with an eServices message summarizing the call 4. Request all determinations in writing ESD is required to provide written explanation for all overpayment calculations. If they haven't, that's a procedural error you can use in your appeal. Also, there's a specific overpayment waiver form on the ESD website if financial hardship applies to your situation.

Update on your options: If you truly never received notification of an appeal hearing or decision, you can file what's called a "Petition for Review" with the Commissioner's Review Office. This is different from a regular appeal. You'll need to explain that: 1. You filed an initial appeal 2. You never received notice of hearing 3. You never received a decision This can be done even after the normal appeal deadline has passed. The Commissioner has authority to determine if your procedural rights were violated. Regarding the increased amount - request an itemized statement showing exactly how the new amount was calculated. This is your right under Washington Administrative Code (WAC).

wait i thought the rules changed in 2025? my friend told me ESD is more strict now about what counts as good cause to quit

Thanks everyone for your advice! Update: I filed my appeal yesterday emphasizing the gender-based nature of the harassment, included all my documentation (emails, texts, HR complaint copies, doctor's note about anxiety/insomnia), and submitted a statement from a coworker who witnessed some of the incidents. I also got through to ESD using that Claimyr service someone mentioned (it actually worked!), and the agent was really helpful. She explained that the initial adjudicator might have missed the gender discrimination aspect of my claim. She also said my appeal looks strong based on what I described. Fingers crossed the appeal works out. I'll update when I hear something!

yea i tried that claimyr thing someone mentioned and it actually did work for me last month. got through to esd in like 30 min instead of calling for days. the agent told me my claim was stuck becuase they needed to verify my last day worked with my employer. once they did that it went through in like 2 days

My sister just went through this and her state rep actually called ESD FOR HER and got it resolved in 3 days!!! So your approach might work faster than anything else. Let us know what happens!

Update: Just checked my account and it's moved from 'processing' to 'pending issue' overnight. Looks like I might be heading to adjudication too. This is so stressful. Does anyone know if I can still get backpay for these weeks if it takes a long time to resolve?

KEEP CALLING THEM!! The website updates are meaningless half the time. My claim was "pending" for weeks until I finally got through to someone who fixed it in like 5 minutes. Turns out it was just some stupid verification flag that could have been resolved immediately if they'd bothered to tell me about it. The whole system is designed to make people give up I swear.