OAH ruled in my favor but employer might file Commissioner Review - how will I know?

Yes, you'll get a letter in the mail if they file for Commissioner Review. It should also show up in your ESD messages in eServices but mail is the official notification method. I had an employer take it all the way to Commissioner level last year. The waiting is the worst part!

You'll receive official notification by mail if your employer files a Commissioner's Review. It typically arrives 1-2 weeks after they file. The notice will include the petition filing date, case number, and instructions for submitting a response if you choose to do so. While you don't have to attend another hearing, you do have the right to submit a written response to their petition within 15 days. And yes, it should also appear in your eServices account under the 'Letters and Documents' section, though sometimes there's a delay between mail notification and online updates. If you're concerned, you can also call the Commissioner's Review Office directly at 360-570-5700 to check the status. The good news is that the Commissioner generally defers to OAH decisions unless there was a clear legal error, so if the judge made a thorough ruling in your favor, statistics are on your side.

My company tried to fight my claim all the way to the moon and back lol. Yes youll get a letter but sometimes there SUPER slow about sending them out. I didnt know my employer appealed to commissioner until like 3 weeks after they did it! But I still won in the end so whatevs.

Nope I just waited. took like 4 months for them to actually make a decision tho. unemployment system is sloooooow

I went through the EXACT same thing in 2025 with my employer trying to deny my benefits! After I won at OAH, they went to Commissioner Review and I was PANICKING thinking they would take back all my benefits. But here's what happened: 1. I got a letter about 2 weeks after they filed (they wait until the last minute of course) 2. The letter had all their arguments which were basically the same as at OAH 3. I wrote a response even though apparently that's optional 4. Then...nothing for 5 months!!! 5. Finally got determination letter - Commissioner's Office upheld the OAH decision! The waiting is definitely the worst part. I checked my eServices message center like 10 times a day which didn't help lol. Hang in there!

I kept getting benefits the whole time. Once you're approved at the OAH level, they don't usually stop payments unless/until they rule against you at the Commissioner level. Just make sure you keep doing your weekly claims!

The ESD system is RIGGED against us regular people. They make everything IMPOSSIBLE to understand on purpose!! My employer took me all the way to superior court and I had to hire a lawyer which cost me $4,500!!!! They design the system to exhaust us so we'll just give up. It's a complete JOKE.

If you're having trouble reaching ESD to get updates on your case, I'd recommend using Claimyr. I was in a similar situation and couldn't get through to anyone at ESD to confirm whether my employer had filed for review. Used Claimyr and was connected to an actual ESD agent in about 15 minutes who checked everything for me. Totally worth it for peace of mind. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 and their website is claimyr.com. Saved me a lot of anxiety during my appeal process.

Yes, it really works. They basically hold your place in line and call you when they get an ESD agent on the phone. I was skeptical too, but after spending 3 days trying to get through myself, I gave it a shot. The agent I spoke with gave me all the info about my case status including confirming my employer hadn't filed a Commissioner Review yet. Definitely less stressful than constantly redialing ESD's number.

im going threw this right now too. my old boss is being a total jerk about everything. i won at the oah hearing but now he's taking it to commishoner review. i did get a letter in the mail and also message in esd account. the weird thing is your sopposed to get benefits while this happens but mine stoped for 2 weeks then started again???? ESD is so confusing!!!!!

ya i called like 20 times and finally got threw. they said it was a "system issue" whatevr that means and fixed it. got backpay for the missed weeks but it was super stressful. make sure u check your account every week!

Just want to say good luck! I remember how stressful this was. One tip that helped me was taking screenshots of EVERYTHING - all notices, all payments, all messages. My employer tried claiming they filed their commissioner review on time when they actually missed the deadline by 2 days. I had proof and that ended the whole thing right there.