Need to correct hours on ESD weekly claim - my foreman changed my hours after I filed
Ugh, I think I seriously messed up my unemployment claim. Last week I reported exactly what I thought I worked (32 hours) based on what I submitted to my foreman in construction. After I filed my weekly claim, I found out he bumped my hours up to 38 on the official timesheet without telling me! ESD already paid me a tiny partial benefit ($98) for that week, but now I need to pay it back AND correct my hours. I have text messages proving what hours I originally submitted and that he changed them later. I'm terrified this is going to throw my claim into adjudication hell for months. Has anyone dealt with this kind of situation? How screwed am I? I swear it wasn't intentional - I just didn't double check the final timesheet before filing my weekly claim. I'm worried they'll think I was trying to commit fraud or something.
18 comments
Join the conversation
Oliver Alexander
Don't panic - this happens more than you'd think. Call ESD right away and explain the situation before they flag it themselves. You'll need to report the overpayment using their online system, but getting ahead of it shows you're acting in good faith. Make sure to upload those text messages as evidence when you report it.
0 coins
Kaylee Cook
•Thank you! Do you think this will definitely trigger adjudication? I've been relying on these payments while work is slow and can't afford to wait months for this to be sorted out.
0 coins
Lara Woods
Ugghhhh ESD's system is GARBAGE!! I had almost the exact same thing happen last year and they put me in adjudication for THREE MONTHS!!! My boss changed my hours after I reported and even though I had proof it was his mistake, they still disqualified me for 2 weeks as a penalty. It was a nightmare getting it fixed.
0 coins
Kaylee Cook
•Oh no, that's exactly what I'm afraid of! THREE MONTHS?? Did calling them help at all or were you just stuck waiting?
0 coins
Adrian Hughes
This happened to me in January. I logged into eServices and reported it through the "Report an Issue" section right away. It still triggered adjudication BUT it only took about 10 days to clear up since I was proactive about it. If you let them find it first, it takes way longer.
0 coins
Oliver Alexander
•This is good advice. Being proactive really does make a difference with ESD. If you wait until they discover it, it looks much worse.
0 coins
Molly Chambers
ive never had this happen but my cousin did something similar and he just kept filing his weekly claims while the adjudication was happening and then they sorted it out eventually and he just had to pay back what he wasnt supposed to get
0 coins
Kaylee Cook
•Thanks, that's good to know. I'll definitely keep filing. I'm fine paying back the $98, I just don't want my whole claim to get messed up long-term.
0 coins
Ian Armstrong
After dealing with ESD for years, both personally and helping others, here's what you should do: 1. Report the issue immediately through your eServices account under "Report an Issue" - specifically mark it as "Earnings Correction" 2. Upload your text evidence showing your original hours submitted and when they were changed 3. Continue filing your weekly claims accurately during this process 4. Repay the $98 as soon as they send the overpayment notice This will likely trigger a brief adjudication period, but with your documentation and proactive reporting, it shouldn't take more than 2-3 weeks. The key is getting ahead of it before they discover it themselves.
0 coins
Kaylee Cook
•Thank you so much for the detailed steps! This makes me feel much better about handling it. I'll get on this right away.
0 coins
Eli Butler
I tried for TWO WEEKS to reach someone at ESD about an hours discrepancy and it was impossible. Their phone system is a joke - I'd be on hold for 4+ hours and then get disconnected. I finally gave up and just accepted the penalty they gave me.
0 coins
Marcus Patterson
•I had the same problem but found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an ESD agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting all day. It saved me so much frustration when I needed to fix an hours reporting mistake. They basically call ESD for you and then connect you when they get through. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 and their website is claimyr.com if you're still trying to get through.
0 coins
Lara Woods
dont 4get to take screenshots of EVERYTHING!! The ESD website frequently "loses" uploaded documents. i upload everything twice and also fax it to them (yes they still use fax in 2025 🙄) just to be safe.
0 coins
Kaylee Cook
•Good point about the screenshots! I'll make sure to save confirmation numbers too. I didn't realize they still accepted faxes - might do that as backup.
0 coins
Oliver Alexander
Just to clarify something important - make sure you select "Benefit Payment Correction" rather than just reporting an issue. This specifically flags it as an overpayment that YOU are reporting, which is treated differently than general issues. Also, don't be surprised if your next payment is held pending review - that's standard procedure while they sort this out.
0 coins
Kaylee Cook
•That's really helpful, thanks! I was going to just use the general reporting option. Hopefully being specific will help it get processed faster.
0 coins
Molly Chambers
maybe you should talk to your foreman too? like he should back you up since he's the one who changed the hours without telling you. my boss did that once and i made him call ESD to explain
0 coins
Kaylee Cook
•That's a really good idea. I'll ask if he'd be willing to confirm what happened in writing. Not sure he'd call ESD but even an email from him explaining the situation might help my case.
0 coins