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Ugggghhhh the ESD system is BROKEN BEYOND REPAIR. I went through this exact nightmare scenario in January. Waiting week status for TWENTY-THREE DAYS with zero explanation! When I finally got through to someone they said "oh we needed to verify something with your employer" - THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT THREE WEEKS AGO???? The whole system is designed to frustrate people into giving up. They WANT you to abandon your claim. Don't let them win! Keep calling, keep messaging, and document EVERYTHING in case you need to appeal.
While I understand your frustration, I don't think the system is intentionally designed to make people give up. ESD is dealing with thousands of claims with limited staff. The verification processes are important to prevent fraud. That said, they absolutely should improve their communication and let claimants know when something specific is holding up their claim.
UPDATE: I finally got through to someone! Used the Claimyr service mentioned below and got connected to an ESD agent in about 15 minutes. Turns out there was an employer verification issue - my former company hadn't responded to ESD's request for information. The agent submitted an override since it had been more than 10 days with no employer response. She said my payment should process in 48-72 hours. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!
That's a common issue - employers have a limited time to respond to ESD inquiries, and if they don't, ESD is supposed to proceed with the claim. Glad you got it resolved! Make sure you continue filing your weekly claims on time while you wait for that payment to process.
I hate to say this but you might need to talk to a lawyer who specializes in unemployment issues. I know it's expensive, but when you're facing $22k in repayments, it might be worth it. The Legal Aid office sometimes offers free consultations for these cases.
That's a good point. I'm going to try these other suggestions first, but if I can't make progress, I'll look into legal aid. Thanks for the advice.
If you go the appeal route, make sure to clearly explain how you calculated your weekly income from your biweekly payments. The key issue will be whether you properly reported your work hours and earnings each week, even if the actual payment was biweekly. For example, if you earned $1600 biweekly for 80 hours of work, ESD would expect you to report $800 for each week (40 hours). If you reported the full $1600 only on the weeks you received payment, that would trigger an overpayment determination because it would appear you weren't reporting income for the alternate weeks. The good news is that if this was an honest misunderstanding about reporting requirements rather than intentional fraud, you have a much better chance of getting the overpayment reduced or the penalties waived.
That explains a lot. I think this is exactly what happened - I reported income when I actually received my paychecks rather than splitting it weekly. No one ever explained that I needed to calculate it differently. I never intended to misreport anything. Thank you for explaining this!
kinda off topic but make sure u update ur address with esd ASAP! they sent me important paperwork to my old place and when i didnt respond they shut off my benefits for like 3 weeks
UPDATE: I got through to someone at OAH! Used that Claimyr service someone mentioned and it actually worked to get me connected to ESD, who then transferred me directly to OAH. The hearing coordinator confirmed my appeal was actually resolved months ago when the adjudicator approved my benefits, but the hearing was never formally canceled in their system. She's removing it from the calendar and sending me email confirmation. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help today - I was seriously panicking!
Excellent news! This is actually a common administrative oversight. Make sure to keep that email confirmation in case any questions arise in the future. Glad it worked out!
my cousin won his appeal and it took like 2 months total but he got all back pay so at least theres that to look forward to if you win.
Yes! I got backpay too after winning my appeal. It was such a relief to finally get that money after waiting so long. The interest from my credit cards during the wait was painful though 😬
BTW if ur appeal is denied do NOT give up!! You can file a petition for review with the commissioner's office. I won at that level after losing my hearing. It takes even LONGER but worth it if ur claim is legit.
This is correct. The appeal process has multiple levels: 1. Initial appeal hearing with Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) 2. Petition for Review to Commissioner's Review Office 3. Appeal to Superior Court Each level has strict deadlines, typically 30 days from the date of the decision. Most cases are resolved at the ALJ level, but it's good to know you have options if needed.
Oliver Zimmermann
Has anyone tried going to WorkSource in person? I heard from a friend that sometimes the WorkSource staff can see what's happening with your claim and might be able to make internal calls to ESD on your behalf. Worth a shot maybe?
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Keisha Robinson
•This is hit or miss. Some WorkSource offices have dedicated ESD staff who can help, others don't. Call your local WorkSource office first and specifically ask if they have any ESD specialists on site before making the trip. The Vancouver and Tacoma WorkSource offices definitely have ESD staff, but smaller offices may not.
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Yara Nassar
UPDATE: I want to thank everyone for their helpful suggestions! I ended up doing several things: 1) Emailed my state rep with specific details about my claim, 2) Used Claimyr to finally reach an ESD agent who escalated my claim when I explained my financial hardship, and 3) Discovered and completed a hidden task in my online account. Not sure which one did the trick, but my adjudication was completed yesterday and benefits are being deposited tomorrow! Don't give up hope if you're stuck in adjudication - being persistent and trying multiple approaches really does help.
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