Unemployment Appeals

• Check with your state’s unemployment office to understand the steps necessary to file an appeal. In most cases, the state requires you to fill out a form, which includes your unemployment case number, to state the reasons you disagree with the case. Submit this to the department within the state’s guidelines and timeline for filing unemployment appeals.
  
  

Prepare Your Case

• Your case will be heard before an appeals judge retained by the state’s unemployment office. The burden is upon you to present the facts in the case and the disagreement you have with the unemployment office's decision. Prepare your documentation ahead of time, include only the facts and dates when events occurred. Be prepared to bring witnesses to support your case if you have credible witnesses that know what happened.
  
  

Attend the Scheduled Hearing

• A hearing will be held that requires your attendance to present your case. If you miss the hearing without first asking for an extension of the hearing date, your case will be denied and you will miss the opportunity to appeal. If you cannot attend the scheduled hearing date, immediately request a postponement and verify that the state's offices provide you with a new date. Otherwise, make arrangements to attend the appeal hearing.
  
  

Representation

• Most states allow you to bring legal representation to the hearing, but regardless of the outcome, you are responsible for paying for that legal representation. Other parties to the hearing will include the employer or his representative, so be prepared to speak before your employer’s representative when you attend the hearing. Stick to state law when presenting your facts in the case and avoid emotionalism at all costs.
  
  

Await the Decision

• After the hearing, the appeals judge will review the facts in the case and make a determination, which will be sent to you by mail. Some states allow you to appeal the decision of the appeals hearing judge, but it is best to proceed as if there is not another option. The appeal hearing is your chance to get the unemployment department to reverse its decision, so stick to the facts of the case where they relate to state unemployment law.