ESD approved my benefits months ago after appeal, but just got court notice today!

omg this happened to my roommate last year!! its some kind of system glitch where they schedule the hearing automatically even tho your appeal already got approved. he just called and they cancelled it, no big deal

This is actually more common than you might think. When an appeal is filed, it often gets dual-tracked in the ESD system. The adjudicator can resolve it at their level (which happened in your case), but the formal appeal process with the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) sometimes continues on a separate track. You should absolutely call both ESD and the OAH immediately. The hearing notice should have a contact number for the specific judge or hearing coordinator. Call them first explaining your situation - that your benefits were already approved months ago and you just received the notice due to a forwarding delay. They can likely cancel the hearing or reschedule. If you absolutely cannot attend, you can request a postponement, but do NOT simply skip the hearing without contacting them, as this could potentially affect your benefits retroactively. Also, make sure to have your approval documentation readily available when you call.

Ugh, the ESD and OAH don't communicate with each other AT ALL!!! I went through something similar and it was a complete nightmare. Called ESD 47 times and couldn't get through. My benefits got suspended even though I already won my case! The system is BROKEN!!

dont panick, but you should still try to attend or at least call them. my cousin missed his hearing (he was in the hospital) and they reversed his aproval and made him pay back $7,400!!! took him 6 months to fix it.

Let me clarify a few things here, as there seems to be some confusion: 1. When your adjudicator approved your benefits, that was a determination in your favor, but the appeal process is separate and continues unless formally withdrawn. 2. You have three options: - Call the OAH immediately and request a postponement (preferred option) - Attend the hearing and explain that your benefits were already approved (bring documentation) - Submit a written withdrawal of your appeal since the issue was resolved in your favor 3. It's critical to take action today. While the approval should stand regardless, missing a scheduled hearing without notice can potentially trigger a system flag that could affect your benefits. If you can't reach OAH by phone, send an email to the address on your hearing notice AND fax a letter explaining your situation. Document all your attempts to contact them today.

Have you checked your eServices account? Sometimes these hearings get canceled but they still send the notices. Log in and check if there's any message about the hearing status or if there are any alerts about your claim being in question.

After trying to call ESD directly for weeks about my adjudication issues and getting nowhere, I tried the Claimyr service (claimyr.com). They got me connected to an actual ESD representative in about 30 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 In your situation, you need to talk to someone ASAP about this hearing, so it might be worth considering. The ESD rep should be able to see the status of your appeal and help coordinate with OAH.

Update on your situation: I just helped another client with this exact issue yesterday. The OAH is currently experiencing significant staffing shortages, which is why you can't get through by phone. Your best option at this point is to send an email to oah@oah.wa.gov with your appeal number in the subject line. Write "URGENT - HEARING TODAY" at the top of the email. Explain that you were already approved months ago by an adjudicator, have been receiving benefits without issue, and just received the hearing notice due to mail forwarding delays. Attach any documentation showing your approved status if possible. They are monitoring this inbox and typically respond to urgent matters within a few hours.

kinda off topic but make sure u update ur address with esd ASAP! they sent me important paperwork to my old place and when i didnt respond they shut off my benefits for like 3 weeks

UPDATE: I got through to someone at OAH! Used that Claimyr service someone mentioned and it actually worked to get me connected to ESD, who then transferred me directly to OAH. The hearing coordinator confirmed my appeal was actually resolved months ago when the adjudicator approved my benefits, but the hearing was never formally canceled in their system. She's removing it from the calendar and sending me email confirmation. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help today - I was seriously panicking!