How long after ESD appeal hearing will judge make decision? (fired but not my fault)

I went through this in January. The judge told me it would take 2-3 weeks to get a written decision in the mail, but mine actually came in 10 days. The decision letter was also uploaded to my eServices account under 'Letters' the same day it was mailed. \n\nHope you win your case! The fact that your employer changed procedures without properly notifying everyone should work in your favor. The judge will be looking at whether you knowingly violated a policy or if it was just a misunderstanding/miscommunication.

Thanks for the info! That makes me feel a bit better. No one told me any timeline during the hearing so I was worried it might be months. Did you get your back benefits paid quickly after winning your appeal?

my freind waited FOREVER like 6 weeks after her hearing!! but i think thats not normal lol. she kept calling esd and they just said wait for the judge. good luck!!

Duuude, 6 weeks?? That's insane! The official ESD website says decisions are typically issued within 2 weeks after the hearing. Sounds like your friend got caught in some kind of bureaucratic black hole. The system is SO broken sometimes!

The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) typically issues decisions within 7-14 business days after an unemployment appeal hearing, though occasionally it can take longer during high-volume periods. The decision will be mailed to you and also uploaded to your eServices account. \n\nIf the judge decides in your favor, ESD will generally process any back benefits within 3-5 business days after receiving the judge's order. If the decision isn't in your favor, you have 30 days from the mailing date to file a Petition for Review with the Commissioner's Review Office.\n\nFor what it's worth, in cases where employers change procedures without proper notification, judges often side with the claimant since you can't be found to have committed misconduct if you weren't properly informed of the expectations. Did you have any documentation showing the procedure changes weren't properly communicated?

Thank you for such a detailed response! Yes, I had emails showing that the new procedures were only sent to team leaders (I wasn't one) and there was no formal training provided. I submitted those as evidence. Does that sound strong enough? I'm just worried because my former manager claimed during the hearing that they verbally told everyone about the changes, which isn't true.

I had a hearing last year for a similar situation and the waiting drove me CRAZY!!! Mine took exactly 12 days. But the REAL frustration came after I won - trying to get through to ESD to actually get my payments! They didn't automatically process them even after the judge ruled in my favor. I ended up spending HOURS dialing and redialing because the phone lines were constantly busy.

I had the same problem trying to reach ESD after my appeal! After days of getting nowhere, I tried Claimyr.com and was able to get through to an agent in less than an hour. They have a system that dials for you and calls you back when they get through the queue. Saved me literally days of frustration. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3\n\nIf the judge rules in your favor, definitely be prepared with a strategy to actually reach ESD afterward because they don't always process the payments automatically like they're supposed to.

Wish I'd known about that sooner! I spent like 3 days straight just hitting redial over and over. It's ridiculous how hard they make it to actually reach a human being.

Most judges issue decisions within 10-14 days after the hearing. The decision letter will show up in your eServices account and they'll also mail a copy. \n\nBased on what you've described about your case, I think you have good chances. For unemployment purposes, misconduct generally requires that you knowingly violated a policy you were aware of. If they changed procedures without properly notifying staff, that's not misconduct - it's poor management.\n\nMake sure to keep filing your weekly claims while waiting for the decision! If you win your appeal, you'll only get paid for weeks you properly certified.

Thank you! Yes, I've been keeping up with my weekly claims even though they've all been showing as

I won my appeal back in February and the judge told me at the end of the hearing it would take \

omg THIS!! I had the exact same thing happen! Why don't they automatically process the payments after the judge rules in your favor? Makes no sense and just creates more work for everyone. The system is so broken.

That's really good to know - I would have assumed the payments would process automatically if I win. I'll definitely follow up with them right away. Thanks for the heads up!

The whole appeal process is SUCH a joke! I waited almost 3 weeks for my decision and then they ruled AGAINST me even though my employer didn't even show up to the hearing!!! When I called to complain they said I could appeal AGAIN to the commissioner but that would take ANOTHER 6-8 weeks. The system is COMPLETELY rigged against workers!!

That's unusual and frustrating. If the employer doesn't appear at the hearing, they can't present evidence against you, which typically works in the claimant's favor. Did the judge explain the reasoning for the decision? Sometimes there are technical eligibility issues separate from the misconduct question that can affect the outcome.

They claimed I didn't provide sufficient evidence that I was eligible in the first place! How is that fair when the burden of proof is supposed to be on the employer for misconduct cases? The whole system is designed to deny benefits any way they can!

Has anyone else noticed that decisions seem to come faster when they're denying your appeal vs. approving it? My first appeal (denied) came back in just 4 days. My second appeal (approved) took over 2 weeks. Seems suspicious to me...

I've heard the opposite actually - that approvals can be faster because denials require more detailed explanations to hold up under further review. But it probably depends more on the individual judge's caseload and complexity of the case than anything else.

I'm just hoping for a quick decision either way - the uncertainty is the worst part. But obviously hoping for an approval since I really did nothing wrong!