What is the worst type of unemployment situation in Washington ESD system?

honestly the worst has to be when you get disqualified for something you didn't even know you did wrong and then have to fight it

The overpayment notices are definitely up there for worst situations. I got hit with a $4,800 overpayment demand last year because Washington ESD said I didn't report some part-time work correctly. Even though I thought I was following their confusing instructions perfectly. The scary part is they can garnish your wages and tax refunds if you don't pay it back or successfully appeal.

I think the absolute worst is being stuck in adjudication for months with no communication from Washington ESD whatsoever. At least with a disqualification you know where you stand and can appeal. But adjudication limbo means you can't pay bills, you can't plan ahead, and you have no idea if or when you'll ever see a penny. I've been waiting 14 weeks now.

THE WORST is definitely when you're on standby status but Washington ESD keeps approving your weekly claims anyway, then months later they realize their mistake and demand ALL the money back as an overpayment. It's like a double-whammy - you weren't supposed to get paid in the first place, but their system kept paying you, and now it's YOUR fault somehow.

I'd say the worst situation is getting caught in the job search requirement verification trap. You think you're doing everything right, logging your job searches, applying to positions, but then Washington ESD decides your efforts weren't 'adequate' and you get disqualified retroactively. They can make you pay back weeks or months of benefits.

honestly all of these situations sound awful but at least there's usually some path forward. the REAL worst case is when you're dealing with identity verification issues and Washington ESD thinks you're committing fraud. they freeze everything and you basically have to prove you exist

Update on my adjudication situation - I finally got through to someone using that Claimyr service mentioned earlier. Turns out my case was just sitting there because they needed clarification on my separation reason, but nobody ever contacted me about it. The agent was able to resolve it on the spot and I should see payments within a few days. Definitely worth the cost to avoid waiting another 14 weeks.

The worst has to be when multiple things go wrong at once. I was disqualified, then got an overpayment notice, AND my identity verification got flagged all within the same month. It's like Washington ESD was trying to torture me. Each issue required different documentation and different phone numbers to call.

What about when you're disqualified but Washington ESD won't tell you exactly why? They just send a generic letter saying you don't meet eligibility requirements. How are you supposed to appeal something when you don't even know what you're accused of?

IMO the worst is being in a situation where you NEED unemployment benefits desperately but Washington ESD's system is so broken that you can't even get a straight answer about your claim status. Like when you're about to lose your housing and they just keep saying 'processing' for months.

The absolute worst situation I can think of is when you're technically eligible for benefits but Washington ESD's computer system has some kind of glitch that prevents your claim from processing correctly. You can't fix it online, you can't get through on the phone, and nobody at Washington ESD seems to understand what's wrong. It's like being stuck in bureaucratic purgatory.

i think we're all overthinking this. the worst type of unemployment is just being unemployed period. whether it's adjudication or overpayment or whatever, at least you had a job before. some of us have been out of work so long we forgot what it's like to have steady income

From what I've seen, the worst situations usually involve people who don't understand the system and don't advocate for themselves. Washington ESD is complicated but if you know the rules and stay on top of your claim, most issues can be resolved eventually. The people who suffer the most are those who just wait passively for things to get better.

Reading all these responses, I'm starting to think there's no 'worst' type - they're all bad in different ways. What they all have in common is Washington ESD's terrible communication and customer service. Most of these problems could be solved quickly if you could just talk to a human being who knows what they're doing.

The worst situation is definitely when Washington ESD makes an error but then puts the burden on YOU to prove they made a mistake. Like when they miscalculate your benefit amount or apply the wrong base period, then you have to gather months of documentation to prove their computer was wrong.

I think we can all agree that ANY situation involving Washington ESD is pretty much the worst case scenario. Whether it's adjudication, appeals, overpayments, or just trying to file a basic claim, the system seems designed to make people give up. The fact that we're all here comparing horror stories says everything about how broken it is.

After reading all these responses, I'm convinced that the worst type of unemployment situation is whatever one you're currently stuck in. They all suck in their own special way, and Washington ESD seems determined to make every process as difficult as possible. Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone - at least now I know I'm not alone in this mess.