James Maxson, whose Lexington-based law firm specializes in unemployment-related matters, said recent lag times in mail delivery are further putting pressure on the appeal timeline.
“By the time that you get it, under the best of circumstances…you’re already several days into a pretty short deadline to file,” he said.
The state accepts appeals via postal mail, fax or email. Maxson said he usually uses all three methods with his clients to ensure the state receives and sees the appeal.
Some of the Maxson’s clients come to him thinking the hearing will be casual. The state’s website even says they're “informal.”
“It’s the most important stage of the process, and you have to make sure you have all your ducks in a row,” he said. “You’ve got to do all the leg work to make sure you’re prepared to present that evidence.”
While there are multiple levels of appeal, the hearing stage is the only one in which evidence can be presented and objections can be preserved in the record.
Part of preparation is — ahead of the hearing — gathering any documents a person might want entered into the record and sending them both to the state’s appeals branch and, if there's an employer protesting the claim, to them.
