ESD taking 100% of new UI benefits for old overpayment despite pending waiver - help!

omg same thing happend to me last year!! they took all my money for like 7 weeks and i couldnt even buy groceries. the system is so broken, its like they want us to be homeless

Unfortunately, ESD is legally allowed to recoup 100% of your benefits to satisfy an outstanding overpayment. However, you do have options: 1. You can request a repayment plan by submitting the form on eServices under "Overpayment" section. This would potentially reduce the weekly recoupment amount. 2. Since your waiver is pending, contact your state representative's office. They can often expedite reviews like this through their ESD liaison. 3. Consider appealing the 100% recoupment separately from your waiver request. You can argue for financial hardship and request a lower percentage (25-50% is more common). In my experience working with clients facing similar situations, option #2 has been most effective for getting quick resolution.

ive been on unemployment 3 times and i never knew they could take ALL of it!! thats ridiculous, how are you supposed to live?? the ESD system is such a joke sometimes. sending good vibes your way

I've been through this exact situation. While waiting for my waiver decision (which took 9 weeks), I was able to get the recoupment reduced to 50% by submitting a financial hardship request. You need to submit form ESD 627-064 "Request for Minimum Monthly Payment" which you can find on the ESD website under Forms. Also - don't waste time calling the regular collections number. They can't help. You need to call the main ESD unemployment line and specifically ask to speak with someone in the Benefit Payment Control unit. They're the ones who can actually adjust the recoupment percentage. Good luck!

Try using Claimyr to get through to an actual ESD agent who can help. After spending WEEKS trying to get someone on the phone about my overpayment issue, I used their service and got connected to an ESD agent in under 25 minutes. The agent was able to immediately reduce my recoupment rate from 100% to 35% while my waiver was processing. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 and their website is claimyr.com. It's the only way I could actually talk to someone who could make changes in the system.

This happened to me in January 2025. ESD was taking 100% of my benefits for an overpayment while my waiver was pending. I discovered there's an obscure regulation that says they're supposed to reduce the recoupment percentage if you have a pending waiver request! Print out WAC 192-230-100 from the Washington Administrative Code and cite that when you talk to them. It specifically addresses recoupment rates during pending waivers. I had to escalate to a supervisor, but they eventually reduced mine to 25%. Also, check if you qualify for WorkFirst emergency assistance through DSHS while this gets sorted out. They can sometimes provide temporary financial help for exactly these kinds of situations.

my freind had this happen and she just kept calling EVERY DAY until she got someone helpful. took like 2 weeks but she finally got someone who fixed it for her. the squeaky wheel gets the grease or whatever lol

One important piece of advice - whatever you do, keep filing your weekly claims even though you're not receiving any money. If your waiver is approved, they'll pay all those weeks retroactively, but only if you've been consistently filing each week. Also, be aware that overpayment waivers are currently taking 8-12 weeks to process according to what an ESD rep told me last week (I work with unemployment cases). So you'll need a plan to manage financially during this time.

UPDATE: I filled out the hardship form and cited WAC 192-230-100 as someone suggested. It took three phone calls (using Claimyr to get through), but they finally reduced my recoupment rate to 40%! Not ideal but at least I'll get some money while waiting for the waiver decision. Thanks everyone for your help! I'll update again when I hear about my waiver.