Accidentally selected 'yes' to refusing work on ESD weekly claim - how to fix?

Happens more often than you'd think! You need to call ESD right away to explain the mistake. They won't automatically fix it because answering 'yes' to refusing work triggers a review process. Your payment will be held until this is resolved. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims while this is being sorted out though.

I DID THE EXACT SAME THING last month!!! Total nightmare. Called for TWO WEEKS straight and couldn't get through. Payments stopped immediately. Had to borrow money from my parents to cover bills while waiting. They really should have a way to fix simple mistakes online instead of making everyone call in. The system is BROKEN.

try calling right when they open at 8am thats when i got thru

@OP - Yes they eventually fixed it and I got backpay, but it took forever. I finally got through by calling at exactly 7:55am and waiting in the queue. The agent was actually really nice about it and said it happens all the time. They just asked me a few questions about why I marked 'yes' by mistake, then fixed it right there.

I recommend using Claimyr to get through to ESD. I was in a similar situation with an incorrect answer on my weekly claim and couldn't get through for days. Tried Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me a callback from ESD within a couple hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Totally worth it because the agent fixed my claim issue immediately once I explained the mistake, and my payment was released the next day.

For what it's worth, this happened to my husband last year. He accidentally hit yes on refusing work (was half asleep filing at 6am). Called ESD and explained it was a mistake. They put a note on his account but told him he'd still need to go through the adjudication process. Took about 10 days before they made a determination that he was still eligible. The adjudicator called him to ask if he had actually refused any work, he explained again it was just a mistake clicking the wrong button, and they resolved it right away. They did backpay for the weeks that were held up during adjudication.

No, they didn't ask for any documentation in his case since it was clearly just a clicking error. They just asked him to verbally confirm he hadn't actually refused any work. The adjudicator could see his consistent claim history with no issues. ESD staff deal with this kind of mistake frequently, so once you can actually reach someone, it's usually pretty straightforward to fix.

not to be off topic but am i the only one who thinks they make those questions confusing on purpose? like why is the refusing work question a double negative? "did you refuse any work?" no means you didn't refuse, yes means you did refuse... confuses me every time

Update: I got through to ESD this morning! Used the Claimyr service someone mentioned and got a callback within 45 minutes. The agent was super understanding and said this happens all the time. She put a note on my claim explaining the error, but said it will still need to go through a quick review by an adjudicator. She said to keep filing my weekly claims as normal, and that most of these simple errors get resolved within 5-10 business days. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

So glad you got through and got it sorted out! I made a similar mistake about 6 months ago - clicked the wrong button on the "actively looking for work" question and panicked just like you did. The waiting period is nerve-wracking but ESD really does handle these accidental clicks pretty routinely. The adjudicator who called me was actually sympathetic and said they see dozens of these cases every week. Your consistent filing history will definitely work in your favor. Keep us posted on how the review goes!

This thread is so helpful! I'm a newer claimant and didn't even know mistakes like this could be fixed. The UI system can be really intimidating when you're already stressed about finances. It's reassuring to see how supportive this community is and that ESD staff understand these things happen. @Yuki Nakamura - thanks for sharing your experience and the update! It gives me confidence that if I ever make a similar mistake, there's a path to get it resolved.

This whole thread is incredibly reassuring! I'm currently dealing with a different claim issue (overpayment notice that I think is incorrect) and have been dreading the phone call process. Seeing how @Yuki Nakamura got through with Claimyr and how understanding the ESD staff were gives me hope. It's amazing how one small UI mistake can cause such panic when you're already dealing with financial stress. The fact that they see these accidental clicks regularly and have processes to fix them shows the system isn't completely broken, even if the phone access is terrible. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world info that helps people navigate these scary situations!

I'm so glad you got through and got it resolved! Reading through all these experiences really shows how common this mistake is - the UI system definitely needs better design to prevent these accidental clicks. The fact that ESD sees these cases routinely is both comforting and frustrating at the same time. It's great that they have processes to handle it, but it shouldn't be so easy to make these mistakes in the first place. Anyway, hoping your adjudication goes smoothly and you get your backpay soon. Thanks for keeping us updated - it really helps other people who might face the same situation!