Missed WorkSource appointment - now ESD wants repayment - will future payments continue?
I completely messed up and missed a scheduled WorkSource appointment last week (Oct 2nd). I immediately rescheduled for the next day and actually attended that one. The WorkSource specialist told me "you should be good to go now" since I completed the requirement, just a day late. But this morning I got a message from ESD saying I wasn't eligible for benefits for the week of Sept 29-Oct 5 because of the missed appointment and that I now owe them $468 for that week's payment! My question is - will ESD continue paying my weekly benefits going forward even with this overpayment issue? Today is Monday (and a holiday) so my normal payment hasn't come through yet. I checked ESD and it says "Pending" which has me worried. Does anyone know if they'll keep paying me while I figure out this repayment situation? Or will they cut off all my benefits until I pay back the $468? I'm seriously stressed because I can't afford to lose even one week's payment right now.
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Ellie Kim
oh no, i had something similar happen in august when i missed a job search workshop. they sent me a notice saying i owed back my benefits from that week ($387) but they DID continue paying me after that. the payments kept coming but they started taking like 25% of each weekly payment to pay back what i owed them!! so you'll probably still get payments but they might be lower until you pay off that $468
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Luis Johnson
•Thank you!! That's a huge relief to hear they'll keep paying something at least. I can handle them taking a portion to pay it back but was terrified they'd cut me off completely. Did you have to set up a payment plan or did they just automatically start taking the 25%?
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Fiona Sand
this is exactly y the system is BROKEN!!!! u miss ONE appointment and they punish u like ur a criminal?? i had same thing last year, missed appt cuz my kid was sick and they made me repay a whole week. its ridiculous how they treat ppl who r already struggling. but yeah theyll keep paying u but take some out each week to cover what they think u "owe" them
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Mohammad Khaled
•Just to clarify - missing a WorkSource appointment without good cause is considered a job search requirement violation according to RCW 50.20.010. The law requires ESD to deny benefits for the week of the violation, resulting in an overpayment if benefits were already paid. While frustrating, it's not arbitrary punishment but statutory requirement.
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Mohammad Khaled
You should still receive your future payments, but there are a few important things to know: 1. That week (Sept 29-Oct 5) will remain disqualified since you technically didn't meet requirements, even though you attended the next day. 2. ESD will continue paying eligible weeks going forward, but they'll likely apply an offset of 25-50% from each payment until the overpayment is recovered. 3. You can call ESD to potentially request a waiver of the overpayment if you can show that the missed appointment was due to circumstances beyond your control (medical emergency, etc.). 4. The "Pending" status is normal for a Monday, especially on a holiday. It should change to "Paid" tomorrow or Wednesday. Keep filing your weekly claims on time and meeting all job search requirements to ensure future weeks aren't affected.
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Luis Johnson
•Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! That makes sense. I don't really have a good excuse for missing it - I just wrote down the wrong date in my calendar. I guess I'll just accept the repayment plan. As long as they keep paying something, I can manage. Do you know if I need to officially accept or set up the repayment plan, or will they just automatically start taking money from future payments?
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Alina Rosenthal
When I had an overpayment situation in July 2025, I found it super helpful to just call ESD directly and work it out. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to them without waiting for hours. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 The ESD agent I spoke with explained exactly how the repayment would work and even adjusted my repayment percentage when I explained my financial situation. Way better than stressing about it for days wondering what was happening.
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Ellie Kim
•i tried calling so many times before and always gave up after being on hold for like 2 hours!! does this claimyr thing actually work? i might try it next time i have a problem with my claim
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Finnegan Gunn
This exact thing happened to me! I was totally freaking out about the overpayment notice because I have rent due next week. But what everyone is saying is right - they kept paying me but took about 30% until I paid it back. It took about 4 weeks to pay off my overpayment ($512 in my case). One thing nobody mentioned - if you're really struggling, you can request a lower repayment percentage. I called and explained my situation and they reduced it to 15% instead of the automatic 30%. You just need to explain financial hardship.
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Fiona Sand
•thats actually rly good to know!! they took 40% from me and i had no idea u could negotiate that down. these agencies never tell u the whole story or ur rights unless u specifically ask!!!
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Miguel Harvey
So im kinda confused about this whole thing. If you attended the appointment the next day why are they punishing you? That seems so unfair. Did you try to explain to them that you went the next day? Also what is WorkSource exactly? Do I need to do those appointments too? Ive been on unempoyment for 3 weeks now.
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Mohammad Khaled
•WorkSource appointments are part of the job search requirements for receiving unemployment benefits. Some claimants are selected for mandatory WorkSource participation, which means you must attend scheduled appointments or workshops. If you've been claiming for 3 weeks but haven't been notified about WorkSource appointments, you might not have been selected for mandatory participation. However, you still need to complete 3 job search activities each week and document them. And yes, it might seem strict, but the system is designed to enforce compliance with exact appointment dates. Even attending a day late is technically a violation of the requirements.
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Ashley Simian
this happened too me to except they didnt let me resechedule and i lost a whole month of benifits not just one week!! your lucky its only one week. i think its better to miss filling a weekly claim than to miss a worksource appt becaus at least with missed weekly claim u can backdate it somtimes but missed appt is automatic disqualifcation for that week
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Luis Johnson
•Wow, losing a whole month is awful! I'm so sorry that happened to you. You're right that I should be grateful it's just one week. I'll definitely be triple-checking all my WorkSource appointments from now on.
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