If a determination is made to deny benefits, you may request an administrative hearing conducted by an appeals referee. If the determination approves payment of benefits, a former employer may then be able to request an appeal of that determination. All requests for an appeal hearing must be filed within 20 calendar days after the distributed date of the determination. If the 20th day falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday the appeal may be filed on the next business day. 

How do I file an Appeal?
You may submit your request for an appeal by mail, fax, or online through the RA Help Center or Reconnect. Please complete a Notice of Appeal for your request by mail or fax.

The following are considered the date of filing:  

  • Mail: Postmark date
  • Fax: Fax date-stamp
  • Online: Reconnect or RA Help Center submission date

Office of Appeals
PO Box 5250
Tallahassee, FL 32399
Fax: 850-617-6504

      

What to Expect after Filing your Appeal
Normally, the appeals hearing will be held by telephone with all involved parties on a conference call. After filing your request for an appeal, the basic order of events are:

  1. You will receive a Notice of Hearing. This contains the date, time and contact information for the scheduled hearing. Call in advance for any needed corrections or any special accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. A postponement may be requested if there is a compelling reason why you cannot participate as scheduled. To postpone, you will need to submit a request for continuance, which can be done in the RA Help Center under the Appeals Assistance section for Claimants. The request can also be made in writing before the hearing with a Request for Continuance form mailed to the Office of Appeals or on the record during the hearing.
  2. You will be contacted on your scheduled date. The appeals referee will conference any other involved parties.
  3. The appeals referee assigned to the case will: record the hearing, explain purpose of the hearing and appeal procedures, make known the contents of the case file, place all witnesses under oath or affirmation, question parties and witnesses to obtain facts, assist parties in questioning witnesses, and determine if testimony and documents should be received and considered.
  4. You will receive the appeal decision. The decision will be distributed to all parties as soon as possible after the hearing. The decision will include findings of fact, conclusions of law, and the result, which will affirm, reverse, or modify the determination or dismiss the appeal. 

If you disagree with the appeal decision, you can request a review by the Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission. The Commission does not typically hold another hearing, and its decision will be based on the testimony and evidence presented to the referee.  Therefore, providing all of your evidence at the hearing before the appeals referee is very important.



Third Party Representative (TPR)


A TPR is an entity that performs RA program activities on behalf of a claimant during the appeal process. A TPR must register with FloridaCommerce and once registered, a claimant must then grant the TPR access to specific Reconnect functions for which they are responsible. Claimants can do this in Reconnect from the Claimant home page.

For more information and specific instructions on registering as a TPR, please read the Reconnect Third Party Representative User Guide.

GreenDot_IconTPR RECONNECT



Guide: Reconnect TPR User Guide



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