Employer appealing after we won EDD appeal - what happens next?
We're stuck in this weird EDD appeal loop and I'm freaking out. My husband was let go from his warehouse job in January after 3 years. His employer claimed he violated safety protocols, but they had ZERO documentation and the witnesses they brought in had conflicting stories. We appealed the disqualification and actually WON the hearing last month (Judge said their evidence was 'inconsistent and unpersuasive'). My husband's been getting benefits for 3 weeks now, but yesterday we got a notice that his former employer filed an appeal to the CUIAB board!? I thought winning the first appeal meant it was over! Has anyone dealt with a second-level appeal like this? What are our chances of keeping his benefits? Will they make him pay everything back if we lose? The stress is unreal - we've already been through 4 months of financial hell waiting for the first decision. Any advice is so appreciated!
21 comments
Morgan Washington
First off, try not to panic too much. I've been through this exact situation and can share what happened. When an employer appeals to the CUIAB board after losing the first appeal, it's called a second-level appeal. The good news is that the Board rarely overturns ALJ decisions unless there was a clear legal error in how the judge applied the law (not just because the employer is unhappy with the outcome). Your husband should continue certifying and collecting benefits during this process. The Board review typically takes 2-3 months, but they just review the existing record and transcripts - no new hearing unless something exceptional happened. Keep all documentation from the first hearing organized just in case. The most important thing: the burden is now on the employer to prove the judge made a legal error, not just that they disagree with the outcome. That's a much higher standard to meet.
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Layla Sanders
•Thank you so much for this detailed explanation! This really helps calm my nerves. I didn't realize the second appeal has a higher standard. Do you know what percentage of these second appeals actually get overturned? And we will definitely keep certifying - I was worried they might say that's fraud or something if the decision eventually changes.
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Kaylee Cook
congrats on winning the first appeal!! thats huge. my brother went thru somethng similar when his boss lied about him stealing (he didnt). the 2nd appeal is mostly BS in my opinion, companies just trying to avoid UI tax increases. my brothers employer lost again with the board. just keep all ur paperwork!!!
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Layla Sanders
•Thanks for sharing your brother's experience! That gives me hope. Did he have to wait a long time for the board decision? I'm worried about planning our finances with this hanging over our heads.
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Oliver Alexander
Trust me, I know EXACTLY what your going through right now. The anxiety is the worst part. Here's what you need to know - the CUIAB board is looking for LEGAL ERRORS in how the judge applied unemployment law, not rehearing the whole case. They uphold something like 80-85% of ALJ decisions in the employees favor. The employer has to prove the judge messed up the law, not just that they disagree. BUT be prepared for potentially months more waiting. My second appeal took almost 4 months to resolve (this was in 2024). Keep all your hearing paperwork and the judge's decision in a safe place. If your husband hasn't already, he should create an account on the CUIAB website to track the appeal status. Most importantly - YES, keep certifying every two weeks and collecting benefits. If (unlikely) the decision gets reversed, there would be an overpayment, but you can request a waiver in that case if it would cause financial hardship.
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Lara Woods
•My cousins company did this and lost again lol. They're just mad they have to pay more unemployment insurance now.
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Layla Sanders
•4 months!? Ugh that's so frustrating. Thanks for the tip about the CUIAB website - we hadn't done that yet. I feel a bit better knowing the odds are in our favor. The first wait nearly broke us financially.
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Adrian Hughes
THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!!! These companies always want to fight unemployment even when THEY ARE WRONG just to save a few $$$ on their unemployment insurance rates!!!! My previous employer did the same thing and dragged me through 3 hearings over 6 months!!! I won in the end but the stress nearly gave me a heart attack!!! The EDD judges usually side with employees on these second appeals FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN but the wait time is BRUTAL!!!!
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Layla Sanders
•6 months is insane! I can't believe they put you through that. Did you have any issues getting your regular benefit payments during all those appeals?
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Molly Chambers
Congratulating on winning the first appeal! That's usually the hardest one. Now the appeal goes to the board, but if the administrative law judge ruled in your favor based on testimony and evidence, those findings are given a lot of weight. They'll likely affirm unless there was a misapplication of the law. Keep all your paperwork and continue certifying for benefits, and stay patient. It's frustrating but these things do come to an end eventually.
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Ian Armstrong
•This is accurate. I work in HR (not giving official advice) but I can tell you that second-level appeals have a fairly low success rate when the initial appeal had a clear factual basis for the decision, which sounds like your case with the conflicting testimonies. The employer is probably just going through the motions to try to avoid the UI tax increase.
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Oliver Alexander
One thing I forgot to mention - while you're waiting on the CUIAB decision, your husband should absolutely be documenting his job search efforts VERY carefully. Make sure he's meeting the work search requirements and keeping detailed records. If you do end up at another hearing, they sometimes look at this, and it shows good faith.
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Layla Sanders
•That's helpful advice. He's been applying to about 5-6 places each week and saving screenshots of all applications. Hoping he finds something soon anyway, but at least we're covered on the work search requirements.
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Lara Woods
Just went thru this last month. Take a deep breath. The CIUAB usualy confirms the first desision if the judge found facts that support it. My old job tried to say I was fired for misconduct (lies!) and after I won they apeeled but lost again because the boared said the judge made the right call based on evidence.
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Layla Sanders
•Thanks for sharing! How long did the board take to make their decision in your case? I hope ours doesn't drag on too long.
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Adrian Hughes
You should know the ENTIRE appeals system is backed up like CRAZY this year!!! My second appeal took 5 MONTHS to resolve!!! The EDD is IMPOSSIBLE to reach about this stuff too!!! I spent DAYS trying to get through to ask about my appeal status!!!
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Eli Butler
•If you're struggling to reach EDD by phone, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). It helped me get through to an EDD rep when I was dealing with a similar appeal situation. They have a system that navigates the phone tree and waits on hold for you, then calls you when an agent is on the line. Saved me hours of frustration. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. Totally worth it when you need actual answers about an appeal.
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Morgan Washington
Another important thing to know: if your husband eventually found new work during this waiting period, he should report his earnings accurately when certifying. Sometimes people think they should stop certifying completely when they find part-time work, but that's not correct - you just report the earnings and may still get partial benefits depending on how much he's making.
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Layla Sanders
•He's had a couple of one-day gigs that he's reported on his certification. His field (logistics) is super slow right now but hopefully picks up soon.
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Kaylee Cook
i forgot to say my brothers case took like 3 months for the board to decide, and they sent the decision by mail not online which was weird. but yeah he won and kept all his benefits. ur husbands case sounds way stronger than my brothers even was honestly
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Layla Sanders
•Good to know about the mailed decision! I'll keep an eye on our mailbox. And yes, the judge seemed pretty convinced by our evidence, so hopefully the board will be too.
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