I'm actually going through almost the same thing. I was living in Canada for 6 months and came back to an overpayment notice and missed appeal deadline. But my question is - if you were completely laid off during that period, why were they even asking for income verification in the first place? That part doesn't make sense to me.

Here's something important to know about overpayment waivers that hasn't been mentioned yet. ESD evaluates waiver requests based on two factors: 1) whether the overpayment occurred through no fault of your own, and 2) whether repayment would cause financial hardship. For the financial hardship part, they'll look at your current income, expenses, and assets. Gather documentation of all essential expenses: rent/mortgage, utilities, food, healthcare, transportation, childcare if applicable. Also document your current income sources and any significant financial obligations like student loans. They have specific financial forms for this process that you'll need to complete thoroughly. The stronger your documentation, the better your chances for a waiver approval.

btw did they tell u when ur money is coming? my adjudication took 9 weeks to resolve and then the money showed up 3 days later

Just following up - did you contact KeyBank? What did they say about their hold policy? This information could be helpful for other claimants expecting large backpay amounts.

Just want to add something important for your hearing preparation: In Washington, if your hours were reduced by over 25% from what you were hired for, that can qualify as "good cause" to quit under ESD rules. Since you mentioned going from full-time (presumably 40 hours) to 16 hours, that's a 60% reduction which should qualify. Make sure to specifically mention WAC 192-150-120 during your hearing - that's the regulation about substantial reduction in hours constituting good cause to leave employment. Print it out and bring it with you.

To directly answer your question about expediting: You need to call OAH at 1-800-366-0955 and request the Expedited Hearing Request Form. Complete it and submit it with documentation of your financial hardship (eviction notice, past due bills, bank statements showing low funds). Based on current timelines, even expedited appeals are taking 4-6 weeks, while regular appeals are running 8-10 weeks. One thing to note is that if your appeal is successful, you will receive back payments for all the weeks you properly filed claims, so document everything carefully now. Also, prepare a clear timeline of events leading to your separation from employment, focusing specifically on how your hours were reduced and any attempts you made to resolve the situation before quitting. The judge will want to see that you exhausted reasonable alternatives before quitting.

One important tip for anyone going through identity verification: If you have any name discrepancies between your ID documents (like a married name on some and maiden name on others), make sure to upload a document that explains the difference (like a marriage certificate). This is one of the most common reasons for extended verification times. Also, make sure your address on file exactly matches what's on your ID documents. Even small differences can flag your account for manual review.

i had the exact same problem last month and my local state representative's office actually helped speed things up! try contacting your district rep - their offices sometimes have direct contacts at ESD who can check on claims.

I've been on unemployment for nearly 18 months now (had to switch from regular UI to extended benefits at one point) and I've found the phone system to be fine for basic claims with no special circumstances. BUT if you have anything unusual to report like hours worked at multiple jobs or holiday pay or anything like that, I strongly recommend using the website. The phone system just isn't designed to handle complex situations. It's pretty much designed for people who either worked zero hours or have a simple single-employer situation with regular hours. Just something to keep in mind!

I always file by phone and never had problem! Just make sure you listen for the confirmation number at the end and write it down!!! Thats how you know it worked for real