ESD demanding $22,500 repayment for approved COVID-era benefits after school employment dispute

same thing happened to my sister!!! the school said she "abandoned" her position when she literally had emails saying they didn't know when or if they'd need her back. ESD is on a rampage trying to get $ back from covid era claims. good luck!

I've helped several clients with similar situations. Here's what you need to understand about the waiver process: 1. For COVID-era claims, ESD is reviewing thousands of cases and making broad determinations. Many are incorrect. 2. In your waiver, you need to focus on two key arguments: financial hardship (cannot pay without severe hardship) AND that you acted in good faith. 3. For the good faith portion, include a timeline showing: - Exact dates of school closures - Documentation of unclear communications from first school - Timeline of accepting second position - Record of your calls/communications with ESD confirming your eligibility 4. Make it clear you were transparent about your employment changes. The overpayment is not due to any misrepresentation on your part. 5. The waiver should specifically address that most benefits were from when schools were fully closed, and only a small portion could possibly be disputed. Don't give up - these waivers do get approved, especially in cases like yours where you were following instructions and the former employer is misrepresenting the situation.

I had to deal with ESD for MONTHS last year. The only way I finally got through to someone who could actually help was using Claimyr. Saved my sanity! You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 and their site is claimyr.com Basically it gets you past the phone tree nightmare and actually connects you to a real human at ESD who can look at your specific case. With overpayment cases, talking to the right person can make all the difference.

schools ABSOLUTELY lie. i worked for Seattle Public for 7 years & HR regularly misrepresented things. the judges always side with employers because the system is rigged. its infuriating!!!

I'm a former ESD adjudicator, and I can provide some insight. What you're describing sounds like a "section 747" review case. During COVID, many claims were automatically approved to speed up payments. Now they're going back and reviewing them all. For voluntary quit cases between school employers, ESD typically applies the "suitable work" standard. If you had "reasonable assurance" of returning to work at your first school but chose to work elsewhere, they may consider that a voluntary quit. However, if the first school was genuinely vague about your position as you stated, that can be considered "lack of reasonable assurance" - meaning no suitable work was actually available. For your waiver request, focus on: 1. The genuine ambiguity from the first employer (include those texts and emails) 2. Your consistent reporting of all work and earnings 3. That you returned to work as soon as possible 4. The financial hardship repayment would cause Be very specific about which weeks you're disputing. The weeks when schools were entirely closed should not be part of any voluntary quit determination. That seems to be where the confusion lies.

I'm going through a similar situation right now with ESD claiming I quit a position during COVID when I was actually laid off. What I've learned is that you need to be EXTREMELY specific about each week being disputed. In my case, I was able to get the overpayment amount reduced significantly by pointing out that most weeks weren't even related to the employer dispute. It sounds like you might be in a similar situation where they're trying to reclaim ALL benefits when only a small portion should be in question. Did you request a copy of your complete claim file from ESD? You have a right to this information, and it shows exactly what employers reported for each week. This was game-changing for me because it showed that the employer in question wasn't even listed for most of the weeks ESD was trying to reclaim.

i dont understand why ESD is doing this to so many people years later!!! its like they gave us the money when we needed it then changed the rules after the fact. my cousin had to set up a payment plan for $15,000 even though she did everything right. the system is broken!!!!!

One important detail to add about your waiver request: make sure you explain that you relied on the benefits in good faith and have already spent the money on necessary living expenses. The financial equity waiver is particularly strong when you can demonstrate that: 1. You had no reason to believe you were receiving benefits incorrectly 2. You used the money for basic needs, not luxury items 3. Repayment would cause significant financial hardship now 4. You've made efforts to resolve the situation Be very specific about your current financial situation - include your monthly income and expenses, any savings you have, and any debts or other financial obligations. The more concrete your hardship description, the stronger your case. Also, don't be discouraged if your initial waiver is denied. Many people succeed on appeal or reconsideration.