Confused about ESD retirement fact-finding letter - questions don't apply to me

i got one of these too last month!! super confusing. turns out ESD sends these out sometimes if you worked for a company that had a 401k program even if you never participated or took any money out. the system is so broken lol

To respond to the fact-finding questionnaire: 1. Log into your eServices account 2. Go to your UI claim summary page 3. Look for "Pending Issues" section 4. Click on the fact-finding link there (should say something about retirement/pension) 5. If you don't see it there, check the "Decisions and Alerts" section You need to respond even if the questions don't apply to you. Just select "No" for each question about whether you're receiving retirement benefits. Include a brief note in the comments explaining you're not of retirement age and have no pension/retirement income. Make sure to complete this within their deadline (usually 10 days from when they sent it).

Same thing happened to me and my claim got STUCK for 3 weeks because of this stupid paperwork!!! The ESD system is completely broken. They sent me the same form even though I'm only 36 and definitely not retired. So frustrating!

This is actually a standard part of the unemployment verification process. ESD is required by law to verify if you're receiving any form of retirement or pension income because it can affect your benefit amount. They send these questionnaires when: 1. You worked for an employer that offers a retirement plan 2. You listed a job where you were employed for several years (triggering potential pension eligibility) 3. Your previous employer reported retirement plan eligibility on their quarterly reports Even if you're nowhere near retirement age, you still need to complete the form. Answer "No" to each question about receiving retirement benefits, and in the comments section, explain you have no retirement income. This will clear the issue from your claim. If you don't respond, your claim will be held up in adjudication for weeks or even disqualified until you resolve this.

It typically takes 3-5 business days for them to process straightforward responses like yours. If they have a high volume of claims, it might take up to 2 weeks. If you don't see the issue cleared after that time, I'd recommend trying to contact ESD directly.

i had something similar and i just ignored it cause i thought it was a mistake and then my benefits got put on hold for like a month and a half!!! dont do what i did lol. answer the questions even if they don't apply, otherwise ESD puts your claim in adjudication hell

I just went through this last month. Here's a weird thing nobody mentioned yet - even if you say NO to all the pension questions, the system will often automatically flag it for "manual review" anyway which can delay things. When I called, the agent said they have to review EVERY retirement questionnaire regardless of the answers. Makes no sense but that's ESD for you...

btw does anyone know why they keep asking the same questions every few weeks?? i swear i've filled out the retirement thing like 3 times on my claim

This is such a common issue! I went through the exact same thing a few months ago. Got that retirement questionnaire at age 38 and was like "what the heck?" The key thing is don't panic - it's totally normal for ESD to send these out even to younger claimants. What I learned is that it's triggered by your work history, not your age. If you worked anywhere that had ANY kind of retirement benefit (even just a basic 401k option you never used), their system flags it for review. Make sure you respond within their deadline even if every question seems irrelevant. I just answered "No" to everything and wrote in the comments section something like "I am 38 years old and have no retirement income or pension benefits." Cleared up in about a week after that. The worst thing you can do is ignore it thinking it's a mistake - that's how claims get stuck in limbo for months!