Just wanted to share my recent experience with this exact situation! I was on Training Benefits for a dental assistant program and started working 15 hours/week at a retail job. The key is being super transparent with ESD from day one. When I started working, I called them directly to let them know and they actually appreciated the heads up. They walked me through exactly how to report my earnings and even helped me calculate what my weekly benefits would look like. One tip: keep a simple spreadsheet tracking your weekly hours and gross pay - it makes filling out the weekly claims so much easier and helps you plan ahead to make sure you don't accidentally earn too much in any given week. The combination of Training Benefits plus part-time income actually worked out great financially and I was able to complete my program without any issues!

I'm in a similar boat - just got approved for Training Benefits for a cybersecurity program and was offered a part-time remote job. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful! One thing I wanted to add is that if you're doing an online/hybrid program like mine, make sure ESD knows your exact class schedule including any virtual components. I had to submit my detailed course schedule as part of my approval process, and I think having that documentation upfront will help if there are any questions later about work conflicts. Also, for anyone else reading this - the ESD website has a benefit calculator tool, but as others mentioned, it doesn't always work perfectly. I've found it helpful to do the math manually using the formula Connor shared (subtract $5, multiply remainder by 0.75, subtract from weekly benefit amount) and then double-check with the online tool if it's working. Planning to start my part-time work next week and feeling much more confident after reading everyone's experiences here!

I went through something similar in 2023 - the identity verification process is definitely frustrating when it comes after you've already moved on from unemployment. One thing that helped me was also sending the documents via certified mail to create a paper trail, in addition to the fax. The address is Washington State Employment Security Department, PO Box 9046, Olympia, WA 98507-9046. Also, when you call to confirm they received your documents, ask specifically for the reference number they assign to your identity verification case - this makes it much easier to track progress when you call back. The whole process took about 3 weeks for me once they confirmed receipt. Hang in there - it's a pain but it does get resolved eventually!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now - filed my claim in January and got hit with an identity verification issue from 2022 that I never knew about. It's so frustrating how they can hold up your current benefits for something that happened years ago when you weren't even actively claiming! I submitted my documents through both the online portal and fax about 10 days ago. Based on what everyone is sharing here, it sounds like I'm looking at another 2-3 weeks of waiting. The financial stress is real - I've already had to ask family for help with rent this month. One thing I learned from calling them (after using that Claimyr service someone mentioned - it really does work!) is that they process identity verification appeals in the order they receive them, so there's no way to expedite unless there's a true emergency situation. The agent also told me to keep detailed records of all my communication attempts in case I need to escalate later. Thanks for sharing your experience - it helps to know I'm not alone in this mess!

My sister had an overpayment of around $22k after the pandemic benefits ended. She won her appeal saying she wasn't at fault but still got stuck with the bill. She ended up having to set up a payment plan for like $50/month which basically means she'll be paying it forever. The whole system is ridiculous! By the way, has anybody tried contacting their state representatives about this stuff? I've heard sometimes they can help push things along with ESD?

I went through something very similar and it's absolutely maddening! What helped me was understanding that ESD has this bizarre two-track system - the appeal process determines fault/fraud, while the waiver process is purely about financial ability to repay. They're completely separate even though it makes no logical sense. A few things that made a difference in my case: - I got my state senator's office involved (seriously, call them!) - I resubmitted my waiver with way more documentation than I thought was necessary - Most importantly, I found out there's a difference between the standard waiver review and requesting a "conference" where you can actually speak to a decision-maker The conference option isn't well-publicized but you can request it in your appeal. Having someone actually listen to your situation rather than just reviewing paperwork on a checklist made all the difference for me. Also, make sure you're appealing the waiver denial and not just the overpayment itself - sounds like you might be mixing up the processes which is super easy to do since ESD doesn't explain any of this clearly. Don't give up! The system is designed to be confusing and exhausting, but persistence does pay off eventually.

UPDATE: My payment from this morning finally hit my account! It was about 14 hours after the status changed to paid. Thanks everyone for the reassurance that this was normal. I'll adjust my expectations for future payments. For anyone finding this thread later - don't panic if there's a delay between the 'paid' status and actually receiving your money!

I'm dealing with the exact same thing right now! My claim shows "paid" as of this morning but my checking account is still empty. Reading through everyone's responses is really helpful - I had no idea that 24-48 hours was normal. I was starting to think something went wrong with my account. Thanks for posting this question, it's reassuring to know this delay happens to others too. Hopefully both our payments show up soon!

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at ESD this morning! Called right at 8:00 AM and only had to wait about 45 minutes. The agent confirmed exactly what everyone here said - when they closed my first claim and opened the new one, my wage data didn't transfer correctly. She said she can see all my Washington wages in the system, and she can also see that Louisiana had already reported my wages there (they were in the system but not attached to my new claim). She's escalated my case to a claims specialist who can manually reattach all my wage data to the current claim. Should be fixed within 5-7 business days. I'm still going to file that appeal just to be safe, but at least someone is working on fixing the issue now. Thanks everyone for your advice and support!

So glad you were able to get through and get someone to actually help you! This gives me hope for my own situation. I'm dealing with a similar wage transfer issue right now - they approved my initial claim but then reopened it for "additional review" and now I can't get any information about what's happening. Quick question - when you called at 8 AM, did you use the general customer service number or is there a specific number for combined wage claims? I've been calling the main line but wondering if there's a more direct route. Thanks for sharing your success story and keeping us updated!