Just checking back - did your claim status update yet? Sometimes completing those additional questionnaires can trigger the system to move forward with processing right away.

Yes! About 3 hours after completing that missing questionnaire, my status changed from \

i dont get why they make this stuff so complicated!! just let people get their benefits when theyre not working! its not like any of us are trying to game the system, we just need to pay our bills until work starts again!!!!!

For anyone else in this situation, here's a time-saving tip: Save a documented copy of your job search activities in your personal records even if you're on standby. This way, if you unexpectedly hit the 8-week limit, you'll have your job search documentation ready to upload immediately instead of scrambling to backfill activities or facing denials. The system requires 3 qualifying job search activities per week, which can include: - Job applications - Employment workshops through WorkSource - Creating accounts on job search websites - Networking events - Updating your resume and submitting it to companies Also, mark on your calendar exactly when you'll hit 8 weeks of standby for the benefit year so you aren't caught by surprise.

Update to my earlier comment - one specific thing that helped me with my TB approval was getting a letter from my community college's worker retraining office. They helped document that my field was declining and that my new training path had strong employment prospects. Most community colleges and technical schools have these offices specifically to help with ESD training programs. They know exactly what ESD is looking for in the applications.

That's a great idea! I'll reach out to Bellevue College's worker retraining office tomorrow and see if they can help with documentation. I didn't even think about that resource.

Good news - ESD doesn't always take the entire amount at once. By law, they need to leave you with at least 25% of your weekly benefit amount if you can demonstrate financial hardship, which it sounds like you can. So worst case scenario, they'll take 75% of your benefit amount, not the whole thing. Make sure you're very specific about your hardship circumstances in your request form and provide as much documentation as possible. And just to clarify something I've seen confused in other comments: the hardship waiver (where they forgive some/all of the debt) is different from a payment plan. The hardship waiver is much harder to get approved and typically only happens if the overpayment wasn't your fault. Since you mentioned you reported hours incorrectly, they'll likely not approve a waiver but should approve a payment plan.

Final update: Success! I used that Claimyr service and actually got through to someone at ESD this afternoon. They confirmed they received my payment plan request and put a hold on the automatic recovery until they review my documents. The agent said it typically takes 5-7 business days to review payment plan requests but she noted in my file that my next payment is coming up soon. She also confirmed that if approved, they'll only take 25% of my benefits each week instead of the full amount. What a relief! Thanks everyone for your help!

i waited 2.5 weeks for my first payment but then all the other weeks came right away after that! hang in there

Just following up - any update on your claim? Did your payment go through?