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The confusion might also come from people who've dealt with other government assistance that does have repayment requirements. But unemployment insurance is fundamentally different - you and your employer paid premiums for this coverage through payroll taxes.
Bottom line: if Washington ESD approved your benefits and you followed all the rules (reported income, did job searches, etc.), those benefits are yours to keep. The only exception would be if they later discovered fraud or unreported income, and they'd notify you officially if that happened.
Remember that even if you lose your initial appeal, you can appeal to the Board of Appeals and then to superior court. Don't give up after the first level if you really believe you're right.
Whatever you decide to do, don't wait too long. That 30-day deadline for appeals is firm. Washington ESD doesn't usually grant extensions even if you have a good excuse for being late.
If anyone's desperate to reach Washington ESD and can't wait until Tuesday, you could try reaching out through their social media or email, though response times are usually pretty slow for those channels.
I tried using Claimyr that people keep mentioning and it actually worked great. Got through to Washington ESD in under 30 minutes when I normally would have been on hold for hours. Definitely recommend it if you need to talk to someone urgently.
It's worth checking their website at claimyr.com for details. For me the time savings made it worthwhile.
Washington ESD's website has some historical information about when different programs started, but it's not easy to find. You might have better luck calling them directly for your specific situation.
Or use Claimyr to skip the wait. I'm telling you, it's worth it to not waste hours on hold.
Good luck with your paperwork issues. The pandemic unemployment stuff is still causing problems for people years later. Washington ESD really should have better systems in place by now.
Jacinda Yu
One more plug for Claimyr - I used it when my claim was stuck and found out there was a simple issue with my work search log format that was holding everything up. Sometimes you just need to talk to a human to get answers.
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PaulineW
•At this point I'm definitely considering it. The peace of mind of knowing what's going on might be worth it.
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Jacinda Yu
•That's exactly how I felt. Sometimes the unknown is worse than bad news because at least with bad news you know what you're dealing with.
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Landon Flounder
Bottom line - 2-3 weeks is normal for straightforward cases, but don't panic if it takes a bit longer. Keep filing your weekly claims, keep job searching, and if you hit the 3-week mark without any communication, then it's time to be more proactive about getting answers.
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Landon Flounder
•You're welcome! Hope everything works out smoothly for you. Keep us posted on how it goes.
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Annabel Kimball
•Good luck! The waiting is definitely the hardest part but you're doing everything right.
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