Do I need to attend WorkSource appointment if I'm back to work and stopped claiming ESD?
I went back to my job at the warehouse about 3 weeks ago (thank goodness!) and stopped filing my weekly claims after that. Today I got a letter in the mail saying I need to schedule a mandatory WorkSource appointment. Since I'm not collecting benefits anymore, do I need to bother with this? Can I just ignore the letter or will I get in trouble somehow? I don't want to waste time going to an appointment I don't need, but also don't want this coming back to bite me later.
14 comments
Felix Grigori
You should definitely let ESD know that you've returned to work rather than just ignoring the letter. If you only stopped filing claims but didn't formally close your claim, they might not know you're employed again. Log into your eServices account and make sure you've reported your return to work date. There should be an option to report employment or close your claim.
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Savannah Glover
•Thanks for the info. I honestly thought just stopping the weekly claims was enough... didn't realize I needed to formally close anything. Will check my eServices account tonight.
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Felicity Bud
Actually I went through this exact same thing in January! Just stopping weekly claims isn't enough - you need to officially notify them. I ignored a similar WorkSource letter and ended up getting another notice a month later about potential overpayment issues. Such a headache to fix.
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Max Reyes
•This is correct. Stopping weekly claims doesn't automatically close your claim with ESD. Always better to properly close things out to avoid complications down the road.
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Mikayla Davison
IGNORE AT YOUR OWN RISK!! I did exactly what you're thinking about doing and got hit with a FRAUD investigation 6 months later because they thought I was working AND collecting benefits!!! The system doesn't automatically know you went back to work just because you stopped filing. CALL THEM!!
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Savannah Glover
•Wow that sounds awful! Definitely don't want to deal with a fraud investigation. I'll call them asap.
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Adrian Connor
I tried calling ESD to close my claim when I got a job and was on hold forever before getting disconnected. Happened THREE times. Finally I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through. They have this service where they wait on hold for you and call when an agent is ready. Worked perfectly and I got through in like 20 mins. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Worth it to get this properly resolved.
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Mikayla Davison
•+1 for this. The hold times are INSANE right now. I waited 3.5 hours last week!!!
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Aisha Jackson
my cousin got the worksource letter after going back to his job too, he just went to the appointment anyway because he was worried about it. said it only took like 30 mins and they just updated his status. probably easier than trying to get someone on the phone tbh
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Savannah Glover
•That might be the simplest option. If I can't get through by phone I might just do this. Thanks!
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Ryder Everingham
To properly close your unemployment claim with ESD, you need to do one of three things: 1. Call the claims center at 800-318-6022 and inform them you've returned to work 2. Report your employment on your last weekly claim (if you filed one) 3. Log into eServices and look for "Report Return to Work" under the unemployment menu Also, be sure to include the exact date you returned to work. This ensures your claim is properly closed and prevents any future issues with overpayments or WorkSource requirements.
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Felicity Bud
•This is super helpful info! Wish they made this clearer when you first sign up for benefits...
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Felix Grigori
Just wanted to check back - were you able to get this resolved?
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Savannah Glover
•Yes! Finally got through to ESD yesterday. Had to call right when they opened at 8am. They updated my status and said I can ignore the WorkSource letter. Thanks everyone for the help!
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