did u check your spam folder? my friend got his waiver response there not in regular email lol ESD is weird

One important thing to note - if you've been making regular weekly claims during this period, double-check that those aren't being applied to your overpayment balance automatically. Sometimes ESD will apply current benefits to past overpayments unless you specifically request they don't during the waiver process. This can happen even when collections are supposedly paused.

Just to provide an update for everyone - I just checked ESD's Twitter account and they've officially acknowledged the system outage. Their post says: "We are currently experiencing technical difficulties with our claims filing systems. Our IT team is working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Claimants who are unable to file today due to this issue will not be penalized. We anticipate systems will be restored by 8AM tomorrow. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Just a quick heads-up - the system appears to be working again. I just successfully filed my weekly claim about 10 minutes ago through eServices. Might want to try again now!

This makes me so angry for you! They make the process INTENTIONALLY CONFUSING! Everyone saying "you should have appealed" doesn't get that ESD never clearly tells you WHEN something becomes appealable vs when it's just "in process." It's not like they send a bright red letter saying "THIS IS YOUR FORMAL DENIAL, APPEAL NOW OR LOSE FOREVER." I hope you get your money but prepare to fight hard because they use these technicalities to avoid paying legitimate claims!!!

One more tip - if you do pursue this, be extremely specific in documenting the timeline. Write out exactly when you filed each week, what the status showed, what communications you received (or didn't receive), and any attempts you made to resolve the issue. The more detailed your documentation, the better chance you have with a late appeal. Also, if you get denied at the OAH level, remember you can appeal to the Commissioner's Review Office and then to Superior Court if necessary. Each level gives you another chance to make your case.

ESD is the WORST with these timing issues!!! My claim ended last year and they DENIED my final week even though I filed it properly! It took THREE APPEALS and 2 months to finally get my money. Their system is completely broken and inconsistent. Don't count on that money until it's actually in your account.

hey did ur payment come thru yet?? curious what happened

my cousin works at esd and says this happens ALL THE TIME. the base year thing confuses everyone. she says they get angry calls from employers like 'why am i getting charged when i didnt fire them???' all day long lol

Just to clarify for everyone in this thread: The UI tax charging system is based on an insurance model. Employers pay premiums (UI taxes) that go into a pool which funds benefits. When an employee becomes unemployed, the system looks back at who benefited from their labor during the base period (as evidenced by who paid their wages) rather than who caused the unemployment. In Washington, benefits are charged proportionally to all base year employers based on how much they paid you. So if 80% of your base year wages came from Employer A and 20% from Employer B, then Employer A would be charged for 80% of your benefits. Employers understand this is part of doing business, even if they sometimes get frustrated by it.

just wondering - did his employer specifically tell him there's NO job or just not his original position? cuz that matters with fmla stuff i think

One more important point your friend should be aware of: When an employee's FMLA ends and the employer states they have no work available, this is generally considered a layoff, not a termination for cause or voluntary separation. This distinction is crucial for UI eligibility. Your friend should save any communications (emails, texts) where the employer stated no work was available. If the conversation was verbal, he should follow up with an email summarizing their conversation to create a paper trail. Something like: "As discussed on [date], I understand that when my FMLA leave ends on [date], there will be no position available for me to return to, and you've advised me to apply for unemployment benefits." This documentation will be invaluable if his claim gets flagged for adjudication, which happens frequently with FMLA-to-unemployment transitions.

I appealed back in February after they said I didn't look for work enough (I did!) and my experience was different from what others are saying. My letter actually came through my eServices correspondence folder AND in the mail about 8 days later. So maybe check both places? The portal itself was pretty straightforward once I got the login info. You'll be able to upload documents, see all communications, and even request a different hearing date if needed.

BTW make sure you keep doing your weekly claims even while your appeal is pending. If you win your appeal, they'll only pay you for weeks you submitted claims for!!!

anyone else think its stupid they dont check ur job searches every week but then can randomly audit u??? feels like a trap to catch people and make them pay everything back. the whole system is designed to trip people up i swear

When I was on unemployment last year I got audited after like 6 weeks. They gave me 7 days to upload all my job search logs. I was lucky because I had kept good records but my friend didn't and he had to pay back like $4200 in benefits! So definitely keep track of everything even if it seems like they don't care about it week to week.

Update: Finally spoke with someone in the overpayment department this morning! I used some of your suggestions and specifically asked for a \

Glad you're making progress! Make sure to follow up if you don't receive that letter within the 10 days they promised. In my experience, it's worth calling again after about 7 business days to verify the supervisor actually processed the request. Hope this resolves it for you!

Just to clarify some confusion in this thread: The Workers' Benefits Credit does use a different payment processing system than regular unemployment, but both CAN send email notifications if you've opted in. However, the WBC system has been having some notification issues lately. The best way to check is directly in your eServices account under the 'Payments' tab. You should see a payment with 'processing' or 'issued' status before it hits your bank account. If it says 'issued' but hasn't arrived in 3 business days, that's when you should contact ESD.

FINALLY got my deposit this morning!!! Took exactly 5 business days from decision to deposit. Check your accounts today if you were approved on the 2nd!