Confused about VA benefits vs. workers comp on ESD weekly claim form - did I mess up?
I'm freaking out a bit because I think I might have messed up my weekly claim. There was a question asking if I filed for or received workers compensation, and since I get VA disability benefits, I answered 'yes'. Now I'm doubting myself because I'm not sure if VA benefits are considered the same as workers comp. They're both for disabilities but from different sources, right? VA is for military service and workers comp is for on-the-job injuries at civilian jobs. Has anyone dealt with this before? Will this affect my UI benefits or put my claim on hold? Should I try to correct this somehow?
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Camila Castillo
No, VA benefits are NOT the same as workers compensation! Workers comp specifically refers to benefits received when you're injured at your civilian job. VA benefits are for military service-related disabilities. These are completely different programs administered by different agencies. You should contact ESD right away to correct this because it could definitely affect your claim or cause delays.
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Samuel Robinson
•Oh no! Thanks for the clarification. Do you know the best way to contact them? Last time I tried calling, I was on hold for 2 hours before getting disconnected 😫
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Brianna Muhammad
This is a common misunderstanding. VA disability benefits should be reported in a different section of your weekly claim. When the question asks about workers compensation, it's specifically referring to L&I (Labor & Industries) claims for workplace injuries. Since you incorrectly answered yes to the workers comp question, your claim will likely be flagged for review by an adjudicator. I suggest trying to fix this as soon as possible by contacting ESD directly.
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Samuel Robinson
•That makes sense. I get both confused sometimes since they're both disability related. Will this put my payment on hold while they review it?
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JaylinCharles
made the EXACT same mistake last month!!! veterans benefits are different from workers comp
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Samuel Robinson
•What happened with your claim after you made the mistake? Did you have to fix it or did it resolve itself?
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Eloise Kendrick
I spent 3 hours trying to call ESD yesterday for a completely different issue and couldn't get through. Their phone system is absolutely INFURIATING. They make it practically impossible to talk to a human being. It's like they WANT people to make these kinds of mistakes so they can deny benefits. The whole system is designed to frustrate people into giving up!
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Lucas Schmidt
•Ya the phone system is crazy bad. I tried for 2 weeks straight before I finally got someone to help me sort out my claim issues
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Freya Collins
After struggling with the ESD phone system for weeks, I finally found a service called Claimyr that got me through to an ESD agent in about 25 minutes. You can check them out at claimyr.com - there's even a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Definitely worth it when you need to make urgent corrections like this VA benefits mix-up. I used it when I needed to fix a similar error on my claim.
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Samuel Robinson
•Thanks for the tip! I'll check that out. At this point I just need to talk to someone to fix this before my payments get messed up.
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LongPeri
Just to add some clarity here - VA benefits and workers comp are reported differently on your taxes too. VA disability is usually tax-free while workers comp can affect your unemployment calculation. Thats why ESD asks about them seperately and why its important to answer accurately on which benefits your getting.
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Brianna Muhammad
•That's a great point about the tax differences. This is also why ESD's systems treat these benefits differently when calculating your weekly benefit amount. VA disability generally doesn't reduce unemployment benefits, while workers comp often does.
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Samuel Robinson
Update: I was able to get through to ESD this morning! The agent told me that VA benefits are definitely NOT considered workers compensation, and she helped me correct my weekly claim. She said this is actually a pretty common mistake, especially for veterans who are filing unemployment for the first time. My payment should process normally now with the correction. Thanks everyone for your help and advice!
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Camila Castillo
•Great news! Glad you got it sorted out quickly. For future reference, always answer 'no' to that workers comp question unless you're specifically receiving L&I payments for a workplace injury.
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