For anyone else experiencing this situation, here's what's happening: When ESD approves an overpayment waiver, two things occur: 1. The remaining balance of your overpayment is forgiven (reduced to zero) 2. Any money you already paid toward that overpayment is refunded to you The refund typically processes through ESD's payment system before the determination letter is generated by their notification system. This creates a situation where claimants often receive money before they receive an explanation. If you can't access your online account, it's likely because your claim status has changed, which sometimes triggers a security protocol requiring re-verification. You can request a new access code by mail through the SAW (Secure Access Washington) system. To confirm your waiver status without waiting for the letter, call ESD at 800-318-6022. Current wait times are extremely long (1-3 hours), so call early in the morning right when they open at 8:00 AM.

I forgot to mention - check your spam/junk mail folder! My determination letter got caught in my email spam filter. Also, after I finally got through to ESD, my online account started working again about 48 hours later. Apparently they have to manually reset something after a waiver approval.

This timing difference is actually normal with ACH transfers. First payments are often processed differently (sometimes as a test transaction) than subsequent payments. What's happening is that ESD has initiated the payment, but it's still in the banking system pipeline. Few things to be aware of: 1. Most banks don't process ACH transfers on weekends or holidays 2. Some banks hold deposits for 24-48 hours before showing them as pending 3. ESD processes payments in batches, not individually If it's been less than 3 business days, I wouldn't worry yet. If it goes longer than that, then you should contact ESD to verify the payment was properly processed. You can check your payment history in eServices under "UI Claim" and look at the Payments tab to see the exact date it was processed.

Quick update - my payment from Monday just hit my account this morning. It took exactly 2 business days as others have mentioned. Hope yours comes through soon!

UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD this morning! The agent confirmed this was definitely an error. Apparently there was a glitch in their system where some letters for claims filed in January 2025 had the delivery addresses mixed up. She flagged my account to make sure future communications come directly to me and said they're aware of the issue and working on fixing it systemwide. She also noted that while employers do get notified about claims and some general determination info, they shouldn't be receiving my detailed claim correspondence. She's escalating this as a privacy concern to their IT department. Thanks everyone for your help and confirming I wasn't overreacting about this!

wait but did u ever get the actual info that was supposed to be in the letter?? like was it important or just general stuff?

Whatever you do, DON'T LOSE YOUR COOL during the hearing!!! I got frustrated when ESD kept interrupting me and started arguing, and the judge basically shut me down after that. Even if they say things that aren't true, stay calm and wait your turn to respond. It's REALLY hard but so important.

btw if u win do they pay u all the back benefits right away? i'm curious about this too

i went thru something similar but my claim got denied b/c my boss said i was a no-call no-show even tho i texted him every day i was sick. make SURE you have proof you communicated about being sick!!!!

To follow up on your question about how long adjudication takes - it varies quite a bit depending on ESD's current workload, but typically 3-6 weeks. If you're concerned about immediate finances while waiting, you might want to look into other temporary assistance programs like: 1. Emergency Assistance programs through DSHS 2. Rental assistance programs in your county 3. Food banks and Basic Food benefits If your claim is eventually approved, you'll receive back payments for all the eligible weeks you claimed, even during the adjudication period. Just make sure to keep filing those weekly claims consistently.