If you have recently lost you job one of your first concerns is usually "How will I pay my bills?"  People rely on unemployment compensation to help them survive while they look for a new job.  To then learn you have been denied benefits can cause great anxiety and confusion.  If your application for unemployment benefits had been denied, you have the right to file an appeal.  Likewise, if your application for benefits has been approved your former employer has the right to file an appeal.  In either case, a hearing bofore a referee will usually be scheduled shortly after the appeal is filed. 

Two issues that regularly come up at the hearings are:

• Whether the employee was discharged for willful misconduct.  The employer has the burden of proving willful misconduct as the reason for discharge.
• Whether the employee voluntarily left work for a necessary and compelling reason.  The employee has the burden of proving a necessary and compelling reason for quitting.

Attorney Bruce Preissman is available for consultations regarding the unemployment compensation appeals process.  He can evaluate your claim based upon your individual circumstances.  If retained, he will help you prepare for, and represent you, at the hearing and fight to have your unemployment benefits granted or reinstated.

He can also help you establish if you have a claim for wrongful discharge or retaliation based on the facts surrounding your dismissal, as well as other potential claims such as discrimination based on age, race, gender, pregnancy, disability, national origin and religion.