Appealing OAH decision on denied benefits - what comes next?

OAH denied me too for some BS reason last year. The whole system is rigged agianst workers!! I filed the Commissioner Review thing but never heard ANYTHING back from them for like 3 months. When I finally did they just rubber stamped the OAH decision. Complete waste of time.

Ugh, that's what I'm afraid of. Did you have any help putting together your appeal or did you do it yourself?

Went through this in January. Make sure you're appealing based on actual errors in how they applied the law, not just because you don't like the decision. Voluntary quit for spouse relocation is tough because WA only considers it good cause in very specific situations.

That's helpful, thanks. The relocation was over 100 miles away so I thought that would qualify as good cause, but they said something about how I didn't prove my spouse's new job was

I successfully appealed an OAH decision last year. The Commissioner's Review is your next step, and you need to be very specific about where the Administrative Law Judge made errors in applying the law. For voluntary quits due to spouse relocation, look at RCW 50.20.050(2)(b)(iii) - there are specific criteria that must be met. \n\nIn my case, I wrote a detailed 5-page appeal explaining exactly which facts the ALJ ignored and which legal standards were misapplied. I didn't use a lawyer, but I spent about a week researching similar cases and cited them. \n\nThe timeline: Filed Commissioner's Review within 30 days → Received acknowledgment letter after 2 weeks → Decision took almost 4 months → Reversed the OAH decision and I got all my backpay.

Wow, that's super detailed advice! Did you have any background in law to help you write that kind of appeal? I'm worried I'll miss something important since I've never done anything like this before.

No legal background, just a lot of research. The key is to focus on legal errors, not just that you disagree. For spouse relocation, the law specifically requires: 1) The relocation was caused by spouse's employment, 2) The relocation made continued employment impossible/unreasonable, and 3) You quit to follow your spouse. \n\nGet a copy of your hearing transcript and review it carefully. Look for inconsistencies in the ALJ's findings versus the testimony. Check if the ALJ cited the correct legal standards. Also review the Commissioner's prior decisions (available on ESD website) for similar cases.

This is really valuable info. I'd add that according to that statute, there's no \

i had to do the commissioner thing after oah said i was fired for misconduct (wasnt true!). took FOREVER. like 5 months to get a decision. they ended up agreeing with oah so it was pointless for me personally but i know others who won. good luck!!

Have you tried actually calling ESD to talk to someone about the appeals process? That might save you a lot of time compared to researching everything yourself. I spent days trying to get through when I had an issue with my claim last month, but then I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an ESD agent in less than 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. It's worth checking out their site (claimyr.com) if you need to speak with ESD directly about your appeal options.

I haven't tried calling yet because I assumed they wouldn't be able to help with appeals. But maybe they could at least explain the process better. I'll check out that video, thanks!

My neighbor went through this and said the most important thing is to be SUPER detailed about which specific findings in the ALJ decision were wrong. Like if they said you didn't provide evidence of something but you actually did during the hearing. Or if they cite a law but apply it incorrectly.

I'm an employment attorney who handles these cases occasionally. The Commissioner's Review is definitely worth pursuing if you believe the ALJ made legal errors. Some practical advice:\n\n1. The standard of review is fairly narrow - the Commissioner generally won't re-weigh evidence but will look for legal errors or clearly erroneous factual findings.\n\n2. For spouse relocation cases, get the exact wording of RCW 50.20.050(2)(b)(iii) and analyze each element.\n\n3. Request your hearing transcript and exhibits ASAP.\n\n4. Focus on inconsistencies between evidence presented and the ALJ's findings.\n\n5. If the ALJ added requirements not in the statute (like proving the spouse's job was \

Thank you so much! I'll request the transcript today. The part about the judge adding requirements not in the statute is exactly what happened I think. They kept saying I needed to prove why my spouse's job was \

That's a classic appealable error. The statute doesn't contain a \

I know someone who lost at OAH but won at Commissioner Review. Took forever tho like 5 months but they got all back benefits + interest. Make sure u meet that 30 day deadline no matter what!!!