Overpayment letter from the unemployment office after 8 years as a teaching assistant

I received a letter saying I was overpaid about $1000 on my claim. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. I cannot afford to repay it all at once. Has anyone disputed one of these?

Collect your pay stubs and certification records for the weeks they name. Mine showed the error was a date mix-up.

I asked for a waiver and a plan in the same call, and they gave me both forms. It was less scary than I expected.