I used to work in a call center (not ESD but similar system) and this happens because they allocate specific staff for Spanish lines. So if 20% of staff is on Spanish lines but only 5% of callers use Spanish, of course those lines are more available. Wish they would just create a fair unified queue system but government tech is always 10 years behind. BTW if u have adjudication issues make sure to also check your ESD secure message portal daily. Sometimes they send questions there instead of calling, and if you don't respond in 5 days they can deny your claim automatically. Same with document upload requests.

lol i tried the spanish line trick 2day and when they called back the guy was like "¿Hola, cómo puedo ayudarte?" and i panicked and hung up 🤣 guess ill try again tomorrow and just say "english please" right away haha

u might want 2 contact ur state representative too!! my mom had a similr problem with L&I (not ESD but similar) and was getting nowhere for MONTHS!!! then she emailed our state rep and suddenly got a call back from a supervisor within 2 days. worth a try since its not costing u anything.

I'm confused about one thing - how much is the overpayment? If it's less than $1,000, sometimes it's not worth all this hassle and might be easier to just set up a small monthly payment plan. But if it's several thousand, definitely pursue the waiver aggressively. Also, check if they added penalties or interest to the original amount, as those can sometimes be waived separately from the principal amount.

I was in your exact situation last year. After my hearing, I had to wait almost a month for payment. What ended up working was contacting the Unemployment Law Project - they have advocates who can sometimes intervene with ESD. Also, I found that calling on Wednesday afternoons was somehow better than other times. Less busy for some reason? Hang in there!

UPDATE: I finally got through using the Claimyr service someone mentioned above! The ESD agent told me my case was flagged for "manual processing" due to the appeal decision, but it hadn't been assigned to anyone yet. She expedited it and said I should see payments within 5-7 business days. She also backfilled all my weekly claims that were in limbo during the appeal process. What a relief! Thanks everyone for your advice.

I hope your brother knows that the WA unemployment system is COMPLETELY BROKEN right now. I've been trying to resolve an issue for MONTHS with zero help. They'll probably deny him initially because that's what they do to EVERYONE these days!! And good luck getting anyone on the phone - the whole system is designed to make people give up. I'd tell him to apply but be prepared for a NIGHTMARE experience. And they don't care if you have bills to pay!!

One more thing I wanted to mention - once your brother starts receiving UI benefits, he should connect with WorkSource. They can help him find suitable work within his medical restrictions, and some of their workshops count toward his required job search activities. This can be especially helpful for someone transitioning to a different type of work due to medical limitations.

Just a reminder that when filing by phone you still need to be ready to report any work and earnings for the week, and answer all the eligibility questions truthfully. I got myself in a mess last year because I wasn't prepared with my earnings information when I called and just estimated...ended up with an overpayment notice that took MONTHS to resolve. The phone system doesn't give you much time to think or calculate, so have all your info ready before you call!

One more tip: be sure to complete your 3 job search activities each week before filing your claim. The automated system will ask you to confirm you've done them. New rules in 2025 are pretty strict about this requirement unless you have a formal standby approval from your employer.