Confusing CRO petition notice after OAH hearing but no decision letter - what's going on?
I'm completely confused about what's happening with my unemployment case. I had my hearing with the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) last week, and I was checking the portal today to see if there was any update. Now it shows a message saying I need to "file a CRO petition" but there's no actual decision letter or determination attached to it. I have no idea if I won or lost my appeal, what this CRO thing is, or what I'm supposed to do next. Has anyone experienced this before? Do I need to call someone about this? The whole appeal process has been stressful enough without this added confusion.
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James Maki
CRO stands for Commissioner's Review Office - it means you can appeal the OAH judge's decision to the next level. But that's strange there's no decision letter yet. Usually, you'll get the judge's written decision by mail within 7-10 days after the hearing, and THEN have the option to file a CRO petition if you disagree with it. The system might be glitching. I'd recommend calling OAH directly (not the regular ESD line) to ask about your decision letter. Their number should be on any previous correspondence you received about your hearing.
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Kayla Morgan
•Thanks for explaining what CRO means! That makes more sense now. So it sounds like the system is showing the next step before actually giving me the decision? I'll try calling OAH tomorrow. Do you know if there's a deadline for filing the CRO petition if I do need to appeal? I'm worried about missing it while waiting for this letter.
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Jasmine Hancock
omg the exact same thing happened to my bf last month! the website showed the cro petition thing before he even got his decision. turns out he lost but didnt know for like 5 days bc the letter was slow. super annoying system
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Kayla Morgan
•Oh no, that's really frustrating! Did he end up filing the CRO petition? I'm wondering if I should start preparing one just in case, even though I don't know the decision yet.
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Cole Roush
The ESD system is ALWAYS doing this kind of garbage!! They expect us to follow their ridiculous procedures but can't even get their own systems working properly. I had THREE different issues with my claim last year where the website showed one thing and then I got completely different information by mail a week later. It's like they WANT people to miss deadlines and lose benefits. This agency is a complete disaster and nobody in Olympia seems to care!!
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Scarlett Forster
•right?? its like they make it confusing on purpose
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Arnav Bengali
This is actually a common system issue. The decision has likely been made, but there's a lag between when it's entered into the system and when you receive the physical letter. The CRO petition option appears automatically once a decision is recorded in their database. You have 30 days from the mailing date on the decision letter to file a CRO petition. Since you haven't received it yet, you have plenty of time. The decision letter will explain your appeal rights and the deadline. In the meantime, keep filing your weekly claims if you're still unemployed. The decision letter will arrive soon, but if you don't receive anything within 10 business days of your hearing, I'd recommend contacting OAH directly using the phone number on your hearing notice.
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Kayla Morgan
•Thank you for the detailed explanation! That 30-day window is good to know. I definitely want to keep my options open depending on what the decision says. This whole process has been so stressful. I'll keep filing my weekly claims in the meantime.
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Sayid Hassan
I went through something similar recently. Trying to reach ESD by phone to get answers was impossible - I kept getting disconnected or told the wait time was over 3 hours. I eventually used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual ESD agent in about 15 minutes. The agent was able to look up my case and explain exactly what was happening with my claim. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Saved me so much frustration compared to trying to call directly.
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Jasmine Hancock
•i might try this! been trying to call esd for 2 weeks with no luck 😫
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Rachel Tao
did ur hearing have anything about job search requirements? i have a hearing next month because they say i didnt do enough job searches but i totally did. just wondering how ur hearing went and if the judge was nice about it
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Kayla Morgan
•No, my hearing was about whether I quit or was laid off (I was laid off but there was confusion about it). The judge was actually pretty reasonable and let me explain my side fully. Just make sure you have documentation of all your job searches to show the judge. Good luck with yours!
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James Maki
Just checking back - did you ever receive your decision letter? Sometimes they're sent by email too, so check your spam folder if you haven't already.
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Kayla Morgan
•Yes! Finally got it yesterday in the mail. The judge ruled in my favor! So I don't need to file that CRO petition after all. Thanks for all the help everyone! I'm so relieved this is finally over.
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StarStrider
Congratulations on winning your appeal! That's such great news. I'm going through a similar situation right now where the system is showing confusing information before I get the actual decision letter. Your experience gives me hope that things will work out. It's really frustrating how the ESD system shows these notices before people even know what happened with their case. Thanks for sharing the update - it's helpful to know how these things typically resolve!
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Nick Kravitz
•Thanks! It really was such a relief when I finally got that decision letter. The waiting and not knowing was honestly the worst part of this whole process. I hope your situation gets resolved quickly too! It's so frustrating how the system creates all this unnecessary anxiety by showing partial information. Definitely keep checking your mail and maybe call OAH if it takes too long - they were actually pretty helpful when I finally got through to them. Wishing you the best of luck with your case!
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Zara Rashid
I'm dealing with something very similar right now! Had my OAH hearing two weeks ago and the portal is showing all kinds of confusing status updates without any actual decision letter. It's really reassuring to see that you eventually got a positive outcome - gives me hope that mine will work out too. The whole system seems designed to create maximum stress and confusion. I've been calling OAH but haven't gotten through yet. Did you find them helpful when you finally reached them? Thanks for sharing your experience and congratulations on winning your appeal!
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Levi Parker
•I'm so sorry you're going through this stressful waiting period too! It's really frustrating how the system creates all this uncertainty. When I finally got through to OAH, they were actually quite helpful - much better than trying to reach regular ESD. They were able to confirm that my decision had been made and was just waiting to be mailed out. I'd definitely keep trying to call them using the number from your hearing notice. The key thing I learned is that the portal showing those status updates usually means a decision has been entered, even if you haven't received the letter yet. Hang in there - the waiting is definitely the hardest part!
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