ESD disqualified me due to a 2018 training benefits form I never completed - appeal or submit late?

Ughhh ESD and their paperwork nightmares. they looove holding stuff from years ago against you. I'd file an appeal AND submit the form. Cover all your bases. The appeal deadline is super strict (30 days I think??) so don't miss that first.

You should definitely file an appeal immediately. The issue here is that your previous training benefits approval might be affecting your current claim. When you were approved for Commissioner Approved Training, you received a waiver from certain UI requirements (like having to look for work while in school). If ESD believes you didn't complete the program or didn't follow through with verification, they might be applying that against your current eligibility. For the training coordinator signature, contact the school you attended and ask for documentation showing you completed the program in 2020. Submit that with your appeal along with an explanation that your benefits were exhausted when the 2018 verification form was sent, so you didn't believe a response was necessary. The appeal must be filed within 30 days of the disqualification notice.

I had something similar happen but with a job search requirement form from 2019. Definitely appeal AND submit the old form with an explanation letter attached. For the coordinator signature, I just wrote "No longer available - program completed in 2020" and attached my degree/transcript as proof of completion. ESD eventually approved my claim after a hearing, but it took about 7 weeks total. During that time, keep filing your weekly claims even though they'll show as disqualified.

you might be overthinking this? if u already got ur degree and finished the program, just get a copy of ur transcript and degree and send that in with the appeal form. they cant expect u to track down some random coordinator from 6 yrs ago lol. the system is so broken rn with all these technical issues

Something important to add - while you're waiting for the appeal process, you should still continue filing your weekly claims even though they'll show as disqualified. If you win your appeal, they'll pay those weeks retroactively, but only if you've filed for them. Also, make sure to clearly explain in your appeal that you had already exhausted benefits in 2018 when the form was requested, which is why you didn't complete it at that time.

I had to call ESD 23 times last month for an issue with my claim and couldn't get through for 2 weeks. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to an ESD agent in under 20 minutes. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 that shows how it works. Totally worth it for me because the agent was able to explain exactly what documentation I needed for my appeal and where to send it. Might save you some time rather than trying to figure it out yourself.

Am I the only one who thinks its CRAZY that they can deny you in 2025 for a form from 2018?? How are we supposed to remember every piece of paper from 6+ years ago??

Make sure you're super clear on your appeal form about why this is wrong. When I had my hearing with the Administrative Law Judge, they specifically asked why I didn't respond to the original notice years ago. Have your answer ready - in your case, that your benefits were exhausted so you reasonably believed no response was needed. Also keep in mind that for the current disqualification, you'll need to address the performance standards issue separately. That's often a difficult basis for approval unless you can show it wasn't your fault or there were mitigating circumstances. The old paperwork issue might be resolved, but you'll still need to overcome the performance-based termination.

Absolutely include those emails about the new metrics! That's exactly the kind of evidence that can help overcome a performance-based disqualification. If you can show the standards were unreasonable or that you weren't given adequate time/training to meet them, you have a much stronger case. For the appeal process, submit both issues: 1) The training benefits form from 2018 was not responded to because benefits were exhausted, and 2) The performance standards that led to your termination were newly implemented with insufficient time to adapt. Make copies of EVERYTHING before you send it in.