ESD approved my overpayment waiver - how long until I get my refund?
Finally got some good news! After fighting with ESD since January, they approved my overpayment waiver on 4/22. I had already paid back about $2,200 of the original $5,700 they claimed I owed (which was completely their mistake - they misclassified my standby status). Now I'm wondering how long before I get that $2,200 refunded to me? Has anyone been through this process and actually gotten their money back after an overpayment was reversed? The approval letter doesn't mention anything about the refund timeline. Starting to worry I'll have to chase them down for it...
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Ella Thompson
congrats on winning your appeal! i've been waiting for my refund for 3 weeks after my overpayment got waived. called them twice and nobody could tell me anything except "it's in process" whatever that means. ESD seems to take WAY longer giving money back than they do taking it away lol
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Matthew Sanchez
•Ugh, that's what I was afraid of. Did they at least confirm that they're actually processing a refund? I'm paranoid they might just waive the remaining balance without returning what I already paid.
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JacksonHarris
From personal experience with ESD overpayment refunds, the process took about 5-6 weeks for me. Their system processes refunds in a separate queue from regular benefits. The important thing is that you've received the official waiver approval, which means you're definitely in line for the refund. Make sure to check your eServices account regularly. They won't notify you when the refund is processed - it will just appear as a payment in your account history with the transaction type listed as "Overpayment Refund" or "Overpayment Credit." If you had direct deposit set up, it will go to that account. If not, they'll mail a check to your address on file. If it goes beyond 8 weeks, that's when I would start calling to inquire about the status.
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Matthew Sanchez
•Thank you! This is exactly the info I needed. I'll check my eServices account daily and keep my fingers crossed. Really appreciate knowing there's a separate queue - at least now I have a reasonable timeline to expect.
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Jeremiah Brown
BE CAREFUL! I thought my overpayment was waived too but then I got a letter saying they reviewed it AGAIN and decided I still owed them!!! Make sure you save EVERYTHING they send you and take screenshots of your eServices account showing the waiver. ESD is notorious for changing their minds and their left hand not knowing what the right is doing!!!!!
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Royal_GM_Mark
•This happened to my brother too! He got a waiver approval then 2 months later they sent him to collections anyway. Had to spend weeks proving he already got it waived. The whole system is broken.
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Matthew Sanchez
•Oh no, that's terrifying. I'm going to save everything and print copies just in case. Did either of you eventually get it sorted out? I really can't afford to have this hanging over my head.
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Amelia Cartwright
Sorry to go off topic but my situation is kinda similar - I got an overpayment notice last week for $3670 that I definitely don't owe. How did you get your waiver approved? Did you have to submit a ton of documentation? I'm freaking out about it.
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Matthew Sanchez
•I had to file an appeal first, then submit the waiver request separately. For the appeal, I included screenshots of my standby approval and my work search logs. For the waiver, I wrote a detailed statement explaining why it wasn't my fault and provided bank statements showing financial hardship. It took almost 4 months total. Good luck!
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Chris King
If you need to check on your refund status, don't waste time with the regular ESD phone line - you'll never get through. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with an agent when my refund was delayed. They got me through to an actual ESD rep in about 20 minutes who was able to check on my refund status and expedite it. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 Much better than spending days trying to get through on your own. The agent I spoke with actually found an error in my file that was causing the delay, so it was definitely worth it.
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Matthew Sanchez
•Thanks for the tip! If I don't see anything in my account in the next few weeks, I'll definitely try this. The regular ESD phone line is impossible - I spent 3 hours on hold last time before getting disconnected.
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Rachel Clark
•I used them too when I had an adjudication issue that was holding up my benefits for weeks. Got through to ESD in like 15 min when I had been trying for days before that. Definitely worth it when you need to actually talk to someone.
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JacksonHarris
Quick update on refund timelines - I was just helping another claimant with this last week. ESD is currently running about 6-8 weeks for processing overpayment refunds. If you had direct deposit set up, make sure it's still the same account, as they'll use whatever bank info they have on file. If you've closed that account, you should update your banking info in eServices immediately or call to notify them. Also, if your original overpayment was deducted from benefits rather than paid directly by you (meaning they withheld money from your weekly claims), the refund process can take a bit longer as it requires additional verification steps.
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Ella Thompson
•does this apply to debit card users too? my benefits went to the ESD debit card and they took the overpayment from there. do they just redeposit to the same card?
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JacksonHarris
•Yes, if you used the ReliaCard debit card for your benefits, the refund will typically go back to that same card. However, if your card has expired or been closed, they'll issue a paper check instead. It's a good idea to verify your card is still active if it's been a while since you last used it.
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Royal_GM_Mark
Just got my refund last week after my overpayment was waived in early March, so about 7 weeks total. No notice or anything, just showed up in my bank account with a weird reference number. Almost missed it! Make sure you're checking your account regularly.
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Matthew Sanchez
•That's great to hear! Seems like 6-8 weeks is the consensus timeframe. Did you have to call them at all or did it just happen automatically?
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Royal_GM_Mark
•I called twice - first time they had no info, second time they confirmed it was being processed. Don't think calling sped anything up tho, system just does its thing at its own pace.
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