ESD overpayment refund letter received but no money - typical wait time?

6 weeks?? Wow, that's definitely longer than I hoped. Was your refund the full amount you paid or did they deduct something?

Thanks for the detailed info! I paid through a payment plan via direct bank transfer over about 8 months. The letter didn't mention any timeline that I could see, just that I'd be receiving a refund. Guess I'll need to be more patient.

I'm curious - did they tell you WHY you suddenly don't have to repay? I got hit with a $2800 overpayment notice last month and I'm trying to figure out if I should appeal or just pay it. Did you appeal yours originally or did ESD just randomly decide to forgive it??

That's not accurate. I work with unemployment cases regularly, and while ESD certainly has issues with delays, they do process refunds. The backlog is significant due to a large number of overpayment reviews happening simultaneously, but refunds are being issued. The timeline is typically 30-45 business days (so 6-9 weeks) from the date of the determination letter. If you don't receive anything after that period, then you should contact them through eServices or potentially through your state representative if you continue to have issues.

Thanks for the tip! I might give that a try after the holidays if I still haven't heard anything. Did the agent give you any specific timeline after you finally reached them?

They told me it would be another 2-3 weeks from when I called. The refund appeared exactly 15 days later. The agent said that once it's in their system as approved, it will definitely be processed, but they're dealing with a backlog from some policy change that affected thousands of accounts.

The refunds are actually part of a legal settlement that required ESD to review certain categories of overpayment determinations made between 2020-2023. It's not related to the budget - it's from a class action lawsuit that was settled earlier this year. The review process is automated, which is why many people are receiving these letters at roughly the same time.

That's really good to know! I'll make sure to check my mail carefully. Did the envelope look official or could it easily be mistaken for junk mail?

it was in a regular white envelope wth the esd logo. kinda plain lookng so dont throw anything away without checking!!

This is extremely helpful information! I made all my payments through direct bank transfers, so I guess I should expect 6-8 weeks. That puts me into late January or early February. Really appreciate you sharing this detailed breakdown!

You're absolutely right that it seems backward. What happened is that a recent court ruling forced ESD to review their overpayment determinations from certain time periods. The court found that some of ESD's processes were not properly following federal guidelines for determining fault in overpayment cases. Rather than review each case manually (which would take years), they're using an automated review process to identify cases that qualify for refunds based on the new interpretation of the rules. If you're currently dealing with an overpayment, you might want to look into whether your case falls under any of the categories being reviewed. The main categories are: 1. Pandemic-related eligibility misunderstandings 2. Working part-time while claiming benefits where reporting errors occurred 3. Cases where claimants were not properly informed of reporting requirements You can request a review of your overpayment determination even outside the automated process.

That's encouraging! Thanks for letting me know. I'll try to be patient for a few more weeks.