ESD taking $400/week from my benefits for overpayment - is 14 month waiver wait normal?

omg same thing happened to me!!! they took $350/wk for like 8 months before my waiver finally went thru. its ridiculous how they expect people to live while theyre taking most of your benefits! i called them like 20 times and always got different answers about how long it would take

Unfortunately, yes, ESD can legally take up to 50% of your weekly benefit amount to recover overpayments while your waiver is pending. The 14-month wait is unusually long though - typical processing time should be 2-4 months for overpayment waivers. You need to specifically request a 'hardship reduction' in the amount they're recouping each week. This is separate from the waiver itself. Call ESD and explicitly ask for a hardship reduction in recoupment amount while your waiver is pending. You'll need to provide financial documentation showing your expenses exceed your current income with the reduced benefits.

I waited 10 months for my waiver last year and it was torture!!! The ESD employees kept telling me "it's in process" but nothing ever happened. I finally contacted my state representative and magically my waiver was processed within 2 weeks after that. Try reaching out to your district's rep - they have special contacts at ESD who can push things through.

The ESD collections department is separate from the waiver department and they don't communicate well. Your waiver could be sitting in a queue while collections keeps taking money. You should try using Claimyr to reach an actual ESD agent without waiting on hold for hours. I was in a similar situation and finally got through using their service (claimyr.com). There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 - once I got through to a live person, they were able to check on my waiver status and escalate it. The agent also put a temporary hold on collections while they reviewed my case.

ESD IS SUCH A JOKE!! they make these "mistakes" all the time and WE have to pay for it while they take their sweet time fixing it. i bet if THEY owed YOU money it wouldn't take 14 months!!!

Another option to consider is requesting a formal hearing with the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) specifically about the delay in processing your waiver. You have the right to appeal not just the overpayment itself, but also ESD's failure to process your waiver request in a reasonable timeframe. This creates a legal record of the delay and often prompts action. The appeal can be filed online through the OAH portal.

my cousin had to wait almost a year for his waiver and then they denied it anyway lol just saying dont get your hopes up too much the system is rigged

I had a similar issue but with a different timeline. For anyone dealing with overpayment waivers, here's what worked for me: 1. Request a Statement of Overpayment Account to verify exactly how much they say you owe and how much they've already recouped 2. Submit a hardship reduction request (Form ESD 640-001) to temporarily reduce the weekly amount they take 3. Check if your waiver was actually denied already - sometimes the notices go to spam or get lost 4. If it's been over 6 months, file a complaint with the ESD Commissioner's Office directly The hardship reduction form specifically asks about your income and expenses, and they can reduce the recoupment to as little as 10% of your weekly benefit rather than the default 50%.