Start with the hearing notice
Confirm the hearing date, time zone, telephone or video access, appeal issue, exhibit deadline, and how to request postponement, an interpreter, or an accommodation.
Decision and filing record
- Complete determination notice and envelope or electronic delivery record
- Appeal submission and confirmation, fax report, receipt, or screenshot
- Claimant handbook and the state appeal instructions that apply to the case
- Calendar entry for every current and later review deadline
Weekly eligibility record
- Weekly or biweekly certification confirmations
- Work-search logs and applications when required
- Gross earnings by week and supporting pay records
- Records of job offers, refusals, availability, or work restrictions relevant to the issue
Hearing packet and case file
- Hearing notice and participant instructions
- Agency fact-finding notes, employer statements, wage records, and exhibits provided by the state
- A list of missing or inaccurate items to raise before or during the hearing
- Proof that any exhibits were sent to the tribunal and other parties by the required method and date
Your timeline and evidence
- A one-page chronology of the important dates
- Employment offer, handbook, policies, schedules, warnings, separation notice, messages, and pay records
- Names of people with first-hand knowledge and what each person observed
- Questions you want to ask the employer or other witness
Technology and attendance
- Test the telephone, voicemail, internet, camera, microphone, and charging cable
- Use a quiet location and keep the hearing number available
- Arrange interpreter or disability accommodation through the state in advance
- Follow the state procedure if a subpoena is needed for a witness or document
During the hearing
- State the disputed issue and requested result
- Answer from personal knowledge and avoid guessing
- Refer to documents by title, date, and exhibit number
- Ask to clarify testimony or documents you do not understand
- Write down any post-hearing submission deadline
After the hearing
- Keep certifying weekly or biweekly under state instructions
- Save the written decision and record the next appeal deadline immediately
- Check whether payments, offsets, or overpayments must be addressed
- Seek legal help promptly if considering a second appeal or court review
Official sources
- U.S. Department of Labor — Benefit denials
- U.S. Department of Labor — State appeal tribunals and stages
- U.S. Department of Labor — Continued eligibility