ESD sent me pandemic overpayment waiver letter - anyone get theirs approved?
Got a letter from ESD last week about being able to request a waiver for pandemic overpayments from 2020-2021. I owe about $6,700 because they said I didn't qualify for some weeks back then (even though they approved me initially!). I submitted the waiver application through eServices yesterday with all the financial hardship documentation they asked for. Now just waiting... Does anyone know how long these waivers take to process? Has anyone actually gotten one APPROVED? I'm trying not to get my hopes up since ESD has disappointed me before, but that money would make a huge difference for my family right now.
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Andre Laurent
yep got mine too. theyre reviewing claims from 2020-21 bc of some new federal guideline. i owe 4900 and applied for waiver but that was 3 weeks ago and still nothing. status just says "under review" when i check
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Carmen Diaz
•Thanks for responding! At least I know I'm not alone. Did you submit bank statements and all that stuff they asked for? I'm worried I might have missed something important.
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AstroAce
I work with these cases regularly. The overpayment waiver process typically takes 4-6 weeks right now. The good news is that many legitimate hardship cases are getting approved, especially if you can document that repaying would cause significant financial difficulty. Make sure you included: 1. Current bank statements showing your financial situation 2. Monthly expense breakdown 3. Any medical bills or unusual expenses 4. Documentation of any decreased income since the pandemic If your application is denied, you have 30 days to appeal the decision through OAH (Office of Administrative Hearings).
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Carmen Diaz
•Thank you so much! I included most of that but didn't really break down my monthly expenses in detail. I just attached my bank statements and wrote that I'm barely making ends meet. Do you think that's enough or should I try to add more documentation somehow?
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Zoe Kyriakidou
i got denied last month even after sending everything they asked for. said i didnt prove "financial hardship" even though im a single parent barely making rent!! now i gotta pay back $3,200 or they'll garnish my wages. total BS if you ask me.
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AstroAce
•You should definitely appeal that decision! When they deny for "insufficient proof of hardship," it's often because they need more specific documentation. For your appeal, create a detailed monthly budget showing income versus expenses, and explicitly show the mathematical impossibility of repayment without significant hardship. Appeals have a surprisingly high success rate when properly documented.
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Jamal Brown
Has anyone been able to actually TALK to someone at ESD about these waivers? I've been calling for days and keep getting disconnected after waiting on hold forever. So frustrating when you're trying to resolve something this important!
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Mei Zhang
•I had the same problem trying to reach someone about my waiver application. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual ESD agent. They have this service where they basically wait on hold for you and call when an agent is available. There's a video that explains it: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 Got connected to a really helpful agent who went through my waiver application with me and explained exactly what they're looking for. Apparently, they're prioritizing waivers where repayment would cause immediate financial distress (like inability to pay rent/utilities) or health impacts.
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Liam McConnell
I know 3 people who got their pandemic overpayments waived in the last month! Don't give up hope. All of them had to wait about 5-6 weeks for a decision. The key seems to be showing that 1) you didn't intentionally misrepresent anything when applying originally, and 2) repayment would cause genuine financial hardship now. My cousin's $8,200 overpayment was completely waived after he documented that he's still making 30% less than before the pandemic and is behind on his mortgage.
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Carmen Diaz
•That gives me some hope! Did your cousin have to do an appeal or was it approved on the first try? I'm genuinely worried about what I'll do if they deny mine.
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Amara Oluwaseyi
why r they doing this now??? its been YEARS since the pandemic. feels like they just want to squeeze more money from us. i got a letter saying i owe $2300 but i dont even remember why???
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AstroAce
•This is actually happening because of a recent federal directive that requires state unemployment agencies to review pandemic-era overpayments and offer waiver opportunities. The review deadline was extended to 2025 for claims from 2020-2021. You should definitely apply for the waiver if repayment would cause hardship. Check your letter for details about why they determined there was an overpayment - it should list specific weeks and reasons.
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Andre Laurent
update - just got an email today. my waiver got APPROVED!! all $4900 forgiven! took exactly 26 days from when i submitted everything.
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Carmen Diaz
•That's amazing news! Congratulations! Did they tell you why they approved it or just say it was forgiven? This gives me so much hope for mine.
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Andre Laurent
•they sent a letter saying something like "repayment would be against equity and good conscience" and that i showed sufficient financial hardship. i basically sent them everything - bank statements showing my account near zero, all my bills, rent agreement, and explained i'm still trying to recover financially from the pandemic. good luck with yours!
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Liam McConnell
One important tip - don't miss any deadlines while waiting for the waiver decision! If you were on a payment plan before, some people have been told to continue making minimum payments until a decision is made. If you stop payments completely and then get denied, you could face additional penalties. Might be worth checking on that specific to your situation.
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Carmen Diaz
•That's good advice, thanks. I wasn't on a payment plan yet - they just sent the initial overpayment notice with the waiver option at the same time. Fingers crossed they approve it because there's no way I can afford to pay back that much.
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