Unemployment Benefits Denied!

When I lost my job in June I applied for unemployment. Then, I decided to go to Canada to school. It was a last minute decision but it would preclude me from receiving unemployment benefits if I was unable to meet the required job search contacts.

I kinda put my life on-hold, took money out of my 401K and moved to Canada for three months. It was an awesome experience and I have no regrets. However my unemployment account was open all this time but I didn't do anything with it. So it was in a weird pending state. I got back from Canada in September 2009. Then I applied again for my unemployment benefits. It took about two weeks and then I got two letters in the mail both saying that I had been denied unemployment benefits based on my employers' saying that I was "at-fault" for the discharge.

Oh man! Was this a low point for me. Both employers saying this had me very depressed! It really sucked. What I now know is that employers pay more unemployment taxes or fees if there is a claim against them. These two companies were both very small so I think this might have had something to do with their decision to say that I was "at-fault." Fortunately, I have a good friend who is an unemployment expert and she said, "Hey, mistakes are made all the time. Appeal the decision." So, that is exactly what I did. There are very strict timelines about the appeals process. I quickly got all my paperwork together and submitted my appeal.

This process varies from state to state. In Colorado, I had to merely state my intention to appeal the decision and get this to the Unemployment Appeals Office within 10 days of my receiving my denial letter. If I had failed to respond, I would have lost any chance to appeal the decision. So, dates are super important in this process. You can't hide your head in the sand for sure!

What happened in this appeal process I will follow up with in later posts. In the meantime, the information for the state of Colorado appeals process can be found here. If you have any questions about filing for benefits, please let me know! Email me and I'll respond with any information that I have.

Every state has different rules, I'm very fortunate that I live in Coloardo because our state unemployment office has been wonderful. I have nothing but good things to say about my experience with them. Here is the link:

State of Colorado Unemployment Benefits website