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I hate to say it, but ESD rarely reverses overpayment decisions. I fought one for 6 months, went through two hearings, and still had to pay everything back. The judges at OAH seem to always side with ESD. It's honestly rigged against us.
That hasn't been my experience. I've represented clients in OAH hearings where we successfully overturned ESD decisions. The key is being extremely prepared with documentation and understanding exactly which regulation ESD is using to claim the overpayment. The judges follow the law - you just need to show ESD misapplied it in your case.
Update: I finally got through to someone at ESD! Turns out they're saying that because I did some gig work during weeks 3-6 of my claim, my combined income exceeded their threshold, which made me ineligible for standby for those specific weeks. The agent explained I needed to submit proof that my employer still had me on standby despite the extra income. I'm gathering emails from my boss now and will be requesting a formal hearing. Thanks everyone for the advice!
Honestly, I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned above. I was skeptical but desperate after weeks of trying. Got connected to an agent in about 30 minutes. Expensive but worth it just to finally understand what's happening with my claim.
I don't think it's just maintenance. My friend filed her claim on Saturday with no problems, so whatever is happening started after that. Probably another one of their system crashes like what happened in January. I took screenshots of the error messages just in case I need to prove I tried to file on time.
Hey, just wanted to say I was in this EXACT situation back in January. Got laid off from main job, kept my weekend job, then found new work after 7 weeks. ESD paid me for all 5 weeks I claimed, but it took almost 2 months after I started my new job. They backdated everything correctly. Just make sure all your weekly claims are filed properly!
Quick update on timelines - based on current ESD processing times in 2025, claims with employer response delays are typically resolved within 8-12 weeks from the initial filing date. So you're nearing the typical resolution window. Once your claim is processed, payment is usually issued within 48-72 hours to your chosen payment method (direct deposit or debit card). One other tip: if you call ESD, have your part-time employer's EIN (Employer Identification Number) handy. This helps the agent look up exactly where the delay is occurring in the system.
i used to work at workforce snohomish before i got laid off and now im on UI too lol. anyway sometimes the esd system does maintenance on weekends and things disappear temporarily. have u tried checking after midnight? sometimes the system refreshes and fixes itself overnight
UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD this morning! Turns out there was a system-wide issue affecting some accounts that started yesterday. The agent was able to reset something on their end, and now the file weekly claim button is back! She said I should file right away since I'm already a day late. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!
@profile7 I actually tried the Claimyr service someone mentioned above. Got connected in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. Definitely worth it for this emergency, but hopefully I won't need to call again anytime soon!
Ava Thompson
also just a heads up that when u file with L&I they might ask for bank statements to prove u tried to cash the check and it didnt work
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
One more important thing - Washington state law provides for double damages in some wage theft cases. When you file with L&I, they can assess a penalty against the employer. So you might eventually get more than just your unpaid wages. Also, regarding your unemployment claim - when you do your weekly claims, there's a section for comments. Always note there that you have a pending wage claim with L&I for your final paycheck. This creates a record that you've been transparent about the situation.
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Sofia Hernandez
•Double damages would be amazing given the stress this is causing. I've already had to contact my landlord about a late payment. I'll definitely add comments to my weekly claims about the wage complaint - that's really helpful advice.
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