ESD disqualified my claim - just filed an appeal. What happens at the OAH hearing?

its not like a real court just a phone call with a judge. i had one last year for being fired vs quitting (they said i quit, i said i was fired) and it was pretty casual. took like 3 weeks to get the hearing date after i filed appeal. the hearing itself was like 30 mins and the judge asked questions. no lawyer needed

The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) handles unemployment appeals. It's not a court case in the traditional sense - it's an administrative hearing. Here's what to expect: 1. You'll receive a Notice of Hearing in about 1-2 weeks with your hearing date, time, and instructions 2. The hearing is usually by phone and lasts 30-60 minutes 3. An Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) will conduct the hearing 4. You'll need to present evidence about your job search activities - gather all documentation now 5. An ESD representative will likely participate 6. You don't need a lawyer, but you can have one if you want Most importantly, prepare your evidence showing you did complete proper job search activities. The judge will want specific details about each activity.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!! I went through this exact thing in January. They denied my job searches even though I did everything they asked. The "hearing" is just a formality so they can say they gave you a chance. The judge works for them not for you!! I lost my appeal and now they want me to pay back $2,800. GOOD LUCK getting a fair hearing from these people!!!

I actually had a good experience with my appeal hearing last month. My claim was disqualified for a similar reason, but I won the appeal. Here are some tips: 1. If you have emails confirming job applications, print those out 2. If you used WorkSource, get records from them 3. If you have contact info for employers you applied with, have that ready 4. Be super organized before the hearing 5. Speak clearly and don't interrupt the judge 6. If you don't have documentation for some activities, be honest about what you did My hearing was scheduled about 2 weeks after filing the appeal, and I received the decision 5 days after the hearing. Once I won, ESD released all my held payments within 3 business days.

Hey btw, if you need to reach ESD before your hearing to try and resolve this or get more info, I used this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual ESD agent in like 20 minutes when I couldn't get through for days. It was worth it for me when I was in adjudication limbo. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 and their website is claimyr.com. They basically call ESD for you and then connect you when they get through.

mine took 4 weeks to get scheduled from when i filed and another 2 weeks after the hearing to get the decision. it sucked waiting but they did backpay everything once i won. def have all ur job search evidence ready and organized. and yeah its just a phone call, the judge was actually pretty nice in my case. good luck!!!!!

To answer your earlier question about job search documentation - it helps to be very specific during the hearing. For each activity, be prepared to state: - The date of the activity - The employer name and contact info - The position you applied for - The method you used (online, in-person, etc.) - What the result was (if any) If you used online job boards but didn't save screenshots, you might still be able to log into those accounts and find your application history. Check your email for confirmation messages too. Even if you're missing some documentation, showing a good faith effort to maintain records can help your case.

just wondering did they send you warnings before disqualifying u? i got an email last week saying some of my job search logs were incomplete and i need to fix them but idk what to do

One more important thing about the appeals process: if you win your appeal, ESD will pay all benefits for the weeks that were held during the appeal process. However, you must continue filing your weekly claims during this time, even though you won't receive payments until after the appeal decision. If you don't file weekly claims while waiting for your appeal, you won't be paid for those weeks even if you win.