Washington Unemployment
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Double payment from PFMLA and ESD unemployment - how to stop/return payment?
I've got myself in a really stressful situation and don't know what to do! Had a car crash in January 2025 and initially applied for Paid Family Medical Leave which got denied. When my restaurant job let me go in February, I filed for unemployment since I needed income. I've been receiving UI benefits for about 4 weeks now. Here's where it gets complicated - PFMLA just reversed their decision yesterday and approved my original claim! They've already direct deposited back pay for the same period I was on unemployment. Now my UI claims that were showing "processing" just flipped to "paid" in the system, which means I'll likely get BOTH payments. I've been frantically trying to contact ESD to cancel/stop the unemployment payments before they hit my account: - Called 15+ times but keep getting hung up on after the automated menu - Sent 3 messages through eServices but no response - Went to WorkSource who just told me "you have to call ESD directly, good luck" I'm panicking because I know this is going to create a massive overpayment situation. I don't want to spend money that isn't mine, but I also don't know how to return it or stop payment. Has anyone dealt with this? What's the process for returning funds or handling double payments between PFMLA and UI?
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ESD claim showing disqualified despite approval letter - will backpay process if employer misses deadline?
I'm totally confused about my unemployment claim status right now. I got a letter in the mail saying ESD APPROVED my claim (yay!) but when I log into my eServices account it still shows as DISQUALIFIED. My former employer has until September 6th to respond or appeal (that's what the letter mentioned). My question is - if they don't respond or appeal by that deadline, will I automatically get my backpay for all these weeks I've been waiting? I'm about 7 weeks behind on bills now and getting desperate. Has anyone dealt with this weird approval/disqualification contradiction before? Does the system update automatically after the employer deadline passes?
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my cousin works for esd (not posting which office lol) and she says this happens ALL THE TIME. the computer system is from like 1985 or something ridiculous. she says the approval letter trumps the online status every time but you gotta call to get someone to manually fix it in the system.
Wow, that's crazy they're using such old systems for something so important! Thanks for the insider perspective - makes me feel better knowing the letter is what really matters.
UPDATE: I called ESD this morning (got through after 14 attempts) and spoke with a very helpful agent. She confirmed that my claim is APPROVED despite the online status showing disqualified. She manually removed the disqualification flag and said my backpay for the last 7 weeks should process within 48-72 hours! HUGE relief! Thanks everyone for your advice!
That's amazing! Mind sharing what time you called? I'm going to try again tomorrow morning.
I called right when they opened at 8am! Waited on hold for about 45 mins but actually got through. Good luck!
ESD claim restart confusion - union layoff during school week with no payment showing
My husband's in construction (union worker) and deals with random layoffs throughout the year. We had an active UI claim from November that's been on/off as he gets work. Last week he had to attend a required union training (June 10-14) and couldn't work, so I tried restarting his claim on Sunday, June 16th to cover that week. We got an approval letter from ESD but there's no payment showing up anywhere - not even as pending or in process. Nothing. The eServices account just shows the claim as active but with zero payment for that week. Did I mess up the restart date? Should I have restarted it on June 9th instead of the 16th to properly cover the training week? I'm worried we won't get paid for those days and his next job doesn't start until July. The ESD letters are so confusing and I can never get through on the phone when I call for help.
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After you get through to ESD and fix the restart date, make sure to double-check that you've met the job search requirements for that week too. Even though it was for training, you still need to list 3 job search activities unless he has formal standby status. Just wanting to make sure you don't hit another roadblock after fixing the date issue!
That's a good point - we did list the required job contacts when filing the weekly claim. His union also counts as one of the job search activities since they dispatch work. Fingers crossed we can get this sorted out tomorrow!
Just to follow up - were you able to reach ESD and get the restart date fixed? Union training weeks can be tricky in the system, but they should be able to resolve this if you explain the situation clearly.
Yes!! I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned and actually got through after 2 days of trying on my own. The rep was able to backdate the restart to June 9th and we should see the payment next week. They said this happens all the time with union workers. Thanks everyone for your help!
Will ESD approve unemployment if I quit? Need to know what qualifies as 'good cause'
I've been at my current workplace for 4 years and things have gotten really bad lately. My boss has started scheduling me for 60+ hour weeks without overtime pay, claiming I'm 'exempt' (I'm definitely not - I'm an hourly retail manager). When I brought up labor laws, he threatened to cut my hours to nothing if I 'caused problems.' I'm at my breaking point and thinking about quitting, but I'm worried about paying bills while job hunting. I've heard ESD sometimes approves unemployment if you quit for 'good cause' but I'm not clear what qualifies. Can anyone explain what situations might be considered valid reasons to quit and still get unemployment? I have documentation of the scheduling issues and text messages with the threats. Would these help my case if I file?
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btw my friend who works at esd says they look at if u tried to fix the problem b4 quitting. like did u talk to ur boss about the overtime? did u try to fix the schedule? did u report to HR? make sure u have proof u tried to fix it first!!!
That's good to know. I've brought it up with my boss multiple times, including in emails where I specifically mentioned the overtime laws. Should probably forward those to my personal email so I have copies.
If you do decide to quit and file, be prepared for a LONG adjudication process. Quit claims almost always go to adjudication, which means an ESD adjudicator will interview both you and your employer separately. They'll ask detailed questions about the situation and want to see your evidence. I'd recommend preparing a written timeline of events with dates and a summary of how you tried to resolve the issues before quitting. Also, be ready for your employer to potentially fight your claim and present their own version of events.
The waiting and uncertainty sounds stressful. Thanks for the heads up about preparing a timeline - that's a good idea. I'll start documenting everything more carefully.
Just won my ESD overpayment waiver - how long until I get my full benefits back?
Finally got that letter from ESD saying I don't have to repay the overpayment from my job separation back in November! They've been taking 50% of my weekly benefits for months while this was being decided. Now that I've won my case, does anyone know how long it'll take for ESD to process this and start giving me my FULL benefit amount again? And will they pay back the money they've been withholding? The letter doesn't explain any of this and I'm trying to budget for rent next month. Thanks for any help!
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lol remember when everyone was saying how much better ESD had gotten after the pandemic?? still the same old garbage systems and impossible to reach anyone 🙄
FOR REAL!! and they expect us to just wait weeks/months for OUR money while bills are due NOW... how does that make any sense??
Quick update for you - I just helped someone last week with this exact situation. There's a specific form you should fill out called the "Request for Refund of Recouped Benefits" that you can find in your eServices account under "Upload a Document." This isn't well known, but it can start the process without having to call. Still, calling will speed things up considerably once you've submitted the form.
Oh wow, I had no idea there was a form! I'm going to look for it right now. This is super helpful, thank you so much!
Aiden O'Connor
I had this happen last summer - got approved for both programs at once. What worked for me was going IN PERSON to the WorkSource office in Lacey. Even though they're separate from ESD technically, the supervisor there was able to call an internal ESD number and get me connected to someone who could help. Took about 3 hours of waiting but it worked when nothing else did.
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Ahooker-Equator
AuthorThat's a great idea! I didn't realize the WorkSource supervisor could call ESD directly. The Lacey office is pretty far from me but there's one closer I can try. Thank you!
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Anderson Prospero
Quick update on the form situation since there seems to be confusion: The Benefit Payment Refund process changed in late 2024. You now have three options: 1. Online: Use the Benefit Return Portal (though as someone mentioned, it can be glitchy) 2. Phone: Get through to ESD and request a payment reversal (only works if payment is less than 5 days old) 3. Mail: You can still use the form method, but it's now form ESD-5617 not 5314 Also important - make sure to update your PFMLA application to show the exact weeks you received unemployment. This prevents PFMLA from overpaying you as well, creating a second problem.
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Aiden O'Connor
This is correct - I had forgotten they changed the form number. One thing to add: if the bank has already processed the deposit but you haven't spent it, some banks will do a return ACH transfer if you contact them within 5 business days. I did this with BECU and it was much faster than waiting for ESD to process a refund form.
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