PUA overpayment partially repaid - will ESD refund my payments after waiver approval?

yesss i had this exact same thing happen!! paid back almost 2k on a 5k overpayment then got waiver approved. took about 8 weeks but they DID refund what id already paid!!! the letter is super confusing but they sent me a check in the mail instead of direct deposit which was weird

I went through this process last year. The ESD waiver approval triggers an automatic refund process for anything you've already paid toward the overpayment. The key is that the system treats these as two separate transactions: 1) Waiving the remaining balance 2) Refunding what you've paid. In my case, the refund took approximately 6 weeks to process after the waiver approval letter. The refund came as a paper check even though I had direct deposit set up for my benefits. This is because refunds and benefits use different payment systems within ESD. If you don't receive anything within 8 weeks, I'd recommend contacting them directly. You can reference the "credit adjustment" language in your approval letter when you call.

dont count on it lol ESD is a mess. my cousin had his waiver approved 4 months ago and still hasnt got his money back. they keep telling him its "in process" whatever that means

I had a similar situation with an overpayment of $4,230 where I'd paid back $1,875 before my waiver was approved. The process works like this: 1. Once your waiver is approved, your remaining balance is cleared immediately 2. Any payments you've made are put into a separate refund queue 3. Refunds typically process in 4-8 weeks depending on their current backlog In my experience, they don't communicate well about the refund timeline. My letter also used the term "credit adjustment" which is just ESD's way of saying you'll get your money back. The refund came as a paper check about 6 weeks after approval with no advance notice. One thing to note: if your overpayment was due to an issue they consider your fault (even if they waived it), they may deduct a 1% processing fee from your refund amount. This wasn't clearly explained anywhere but showed up on the statement with my check.

i got a waiver but never got my money back!! been waiting almost a year now and they keep saying its coming but nothing!!!!

If you're tired of waiting on hold to reach ESD about your refund, I'd recommend trying Claimyr. I was stuck in a similar situation with an approved waiver but no refund after 2 months. Spent days trying to get through on the phone with no luck. Claimyr got me connected to an ESD agent in about 20 minutes who was able to tell me exactly where my refund was in the process and when to expect it. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 The website is claimyr.com - definitely worth it to get actual answers instead of waiting and wondering.

Be careful with this whole process. My waiver was approved but then 3 months later they REVERSED it claiming they made a mistake and I had to repay everything PLUS the money they had refunded me! Make sure you keep copies of EVERYTHING and don't spend the refund right away just in case. ESD is notorious for changing their minds.

To give you an update on the most current process (as of 2025), ESD has been improving their refund timeline after waiver approvals. The official policy now is: 1. Waiver approval immediately clears remaining balance 2. Refund process begins within 5 business days 3. Paper checks are issued within 4-6 weeks However, if your overpayment involved multiple benefit types or crossed between regular UI and PUA, it can take longer as these are processed by different departments. The "credit adjustment" language in your letter is standard ESD terminology confirming you'll get a refund. One important tip: when your check arrives, the remittance statement will include a reference number starting with RF. If you ever need to follow up, having this RF number will help representatives track your specific refund in their system.

anybody know if they tax the refund? i paid $4k on my overpayment then got a waiver but when they sent me back the money it was only like $3400ish... wondering if they took taxes out or what?

UPDATE: Just wanted to share that I received my refund check today - exactly 7 weeks after the waiver approval letter! It came as a paper check with a detailed statement showing the original overpayment amount, what I had paid, and the refund amount. They did take out a small processing fee (about 1%) but otherwise returned the full amount I had paid. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and advice - it really helped me understand what to expect during this confusing process!

Congratulations on getting your refund! This is such a helpful update for anyone else going through this process. The 7-week timeline seems pretty consistent with what others have reported. It's good to know they provided a detailed statement with the check too - that transparency helps a lot when dealing with ESD. Thanks for coming back to share the outcome, especially since so many people are dealing with similar waiver/refund situations right now.

This is such a relief to read all these updates! I'm currently going through the exact same situation - got my waiver approved two weeks ago after paying back about $2,800 of a $5,200 overpayment. The waiting and uncertainty has been really stressful, especially with all the conflicting information online. Seeing that most people did get their refunds within 6-8 weeks (even if ESD's communication is terrible) gives me hope. I'll definitely keep all my documentation and watch for that paper check. Thanks everyone for sharing your real experiences - it's so much more helpful than trying to decode ESD's confusing letters!