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Governor's office expedited my husband's adjudication - will ESD deny for 'lack of work' separation?
So relieved but still anxious! After 6 weeks of silence on my husband's unemployment claim, we finally contacted the governor's office yesterday. They called us this morning and put in a request to expedite his claim with ESD. Already got a message from unemployment this afternoon saying someone is actively working on his case! The message mentioned there's one adjudication issue left regarding his separation from his last employer. His separation notice clearly states 'lack of work' as the reason. Is that something they could still deny him for? We desperately need these 6 weeks of back benefits to catch up on rent - we're falling behind with 5 kids to support. He's been applying everywhere but still no job offers. Has anyone dealt with a 'lack of work' adjudication? Will they approve this? The waiting and uncertainty is killing us.
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ESD appeal hearing for voluntary quit - what to expect when prior contract job ended too?
I've got a complicated situation with my ESD unemployment and could really use some advice before my appeal hearing. Timeline: I quit a job in March 2023 and filed for UI. Was denied (expected since I voluntarily quit). Filed for 8 weeks while job hunting. Then found a contract position which ended naturally in June. Filed again for a few weeks after the contract ended. Stopped filing since I'm taking a break from job hunting right now. Here's the weird part - 7 months after my initial denial for the voluntary quit, I've suddenly got an appeal hearing scheduled! I had appealed the original denial way back when, but honestly forgot about it with everything else going on. Anyone been through an appeal hearing? Does my former employer (the one I quit) typically show up? What should I prepare? The whole situation seems extra complicated since I've had another job that ended since the original denial.
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Wait i'm confused... if you're not looking for work right now why even worry about the appeal? You said you stopped filing claims because you're not job hunting anymore, so you wouldn't be eligible for benefits anyway at this point, right? Or are you hoping to get retroactive payments for those 8 weeks you claimed after quitting?
It's for the retroactive payments for those 8 weeks. I was actively job hunting during that time, just not currently. Plus, I'm worried if I ignore the hearing notice it could cause problems if I need benefits in the future.
One last thing to consider: if your appeal is successful and you get benefits for those 8 weeks, that could trigger an overpayment notice for any benefits you received after your contract job ended, if those were calculated on a new claim. ESD might determine you were double-dipping (using the same employment hours for two different benefit periods). This is why understanding if your contract job created a new benefit year is so important.
Oh that's a good point I hadn't considered. I definitely don't want to end up with an overpayment situation. I'll see if I can figure out whether the contract job created a new benefit year before the hearing.
ESD appeal marked 'reversed' in OAH disposition - good or bad news?
I'm freaking out over here because I just checked my OAH portal and under my recent appeal, the disposition status now says 'reversed'. I was denied benefits initially due to ESD claiming I quit voluntarily (I didn't - there was a major reduction in hours that made it impossible to pay bills). I've been fighting this for almost 2 months now. Does 'reversed' mean they overturned ESD's decision in my favor? Or does it mean something else happened? I'm scared to get my hopes up after waiting so long. The status just changed today and there's no other information yet. Has anyone dealt with this before?
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I had a similar reduction in hours situation in 2024 and also had my denial reversed by OAH. Just so you know what happened in my case: I got the full written decision about 5 days after seeing the 'reversed' status online. Then I had to wait about 18 days before the money actually showed up in my account. ESD's system takes time to implement the judge's decision. One weird thing - my eServices account showed 'adjudication in progress' again for about a week during this time, which freaked me out, but it was just part of their process of implementing the decision. Hang in there!
This is super helpful, thank you! I'll try not to panic if I see 'adjudication' pop up again. The waiting is just so stressful when bills are piling up.
Quick follow-up: if you don't see any changes in your eServices portal within 2 weeks, you might need to contact ESD to ensure they're implementing the judge's decision. Sometimes there can be delays if they're backlogged. But in most cases, once OAH reverses a decision, ESD processes the claim within 10-14 business days. Just keep documenting all your job search activities while waiting!
Thank you again! I'll mark my calendar for 2 weeks from today and follow up with ESD if nothing has changed by then. Really appreciate everyone's help - this forum has been a lifesaver during this stressful process.
ESD claim exhausted before expiration - can I file a new claim now?
Just found out I'm getting laid off at the end of the week. My previous unemployment claim is exhausted (used all benefits) but doesn't technically expire until November 9, 2025. Do I have to wait until after the expiration date to file a new claim? Or can I apply for a new claim immediately since the benefits are used up? Anyone been through this situation recently? I need to know if there's going to be a gap in coverage or if I can transition right away. Thanks for any help!
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I'm actually an employer but I've helped employees with this before. The rule is you need 680 hours in your new base year AND you must have returned to work and earned 6 times your weekly benefit amount since opening your previous claim. If you meet both requirements, you can file immediately without waiting for your benefit year to expire. If not, you'll need to wait until after November 9th.
Thanks everyone! I just checked my pay stubs and I've definitely worked more than 680 hours since starting this job 8 months ago. My previous weekly benefit was $504, and I've earned way more than 6 times that amount. I'll go ahead and apply online now instead of waiting!
Just wanted to mention that when you apply, make sure to have your employment info from your new job ready - especially your start and end dates and reason for separation. They'll verify this with your employer. Also, the first week is still a waiting week where you won't get paid - that never changed back after COVID.
ALSO!!! don't forget u have to do 3 job search activities each week and log them!!! esd is super strict about this now and will deny ur claim if u mess up the job search!!! happened to my sister in january
Will starting a youth nonprofit affect my active L&I workers comp claim?
I injured my ankle at work about 3 months ago and had surgery. Currently on workers comp (L&I claim) while I recover. While I'm off work, I want to organize a youth sports team in my community which requires me to get business permits and set up a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. I'm worried this might affect my workers comp benefits even though I won't be getting paid - it's completely volunteer work. Do I need to report this activity to L&I? Has anyone been in a similar situation? I definitely don't want to get accused of fraud or have my benefits cut off, but I need something productive to do during recovery and this project is important to me.
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My brother got in BIG trouble with L&I cause they saw facebook pics of him volunteering at a community garden while claiming he couldnt work!!! they made him pay back like $6000!!! be careful what u post online too!!!
Wow, that's terrifying! I was planning to post about the youth team on social media to recruit kids. Definitely going to wait until I get proper approval. Thanks for the warning!
One final piece of advice: when you do get hold of your claim manager, ask them to document the conversation in your file. Get their email address and follow up with a summary of what was discussed. L&I claims can sometimes change hands, and having that paper trail of you actively seeking guidance shows you're acting in good faith.
That's great advice. I'll make sure to get everything in writing. My appointment with my doctor is next Tuesday, so hopefully I can get this all sorted out before then. Thanks everyone for your help! I definitely don't want to jeopardize my claim.
Avery Flores
am I the only one who thinks it's ridiculous we have to contact the governor to get basic unemployment services? the whole system is a joke. they expect people to wait months with no income while bills pile up? what are families supposed to do?
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Chloe Green
EXACTLY!! It's completely broken. They say file your claims every week but then make you wait MONTHS for payment. How are people supposed to feed their kids and pay rent? The ESD phone system is designed to keep you from reaching anyone who can help. It's disgusting how they treat people.
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Mila Walker
UPDATE: We got APPROVED!!! All 6 weeks processed and payment is pending direct deposit! Should have the money tomorrow. The adjudicator never even called us - just verified with the employer and made the determination. Thank you everyone for your support and advice during this stressful time. And definitely reach out to the governor's office if you're stuck - it made all the difference for us.
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Logan Scott
That's fantastic news! So happy for your family. It's always a relief when these things work out as they should. Now you can focus on catching up and moving forward.
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