Business & Work

After you've applied, you will get a letter from IDES telling you if you have been approved or denied. Before this, you might also get a "finding letter." This letter tells you whether you have enough quarters of coverage to get benefits and how much you will get if you qualify. Getting a finding letter does not mean you are approved. You will get a separate approval or denial letter.

Remember, even if you are initially found to be entitled to benefits, your former employer has a right to appeal the decision within 30 days. So you should wait for 30 days until you rely on this decision to be final. You will still receive benefits in this 30-day period. But if you are eventually found to be ineligible, you might have to repay benefits you received.

The letter you receive denying you unemployment benefits explains how to appeal the denial. You can follow the step by step process here. Do not wait until the last week to submit your appeal, so that if your letter is not delivered, you will have time to send or hand-deliver another one.

If you are denied unemployment benefits, you have 3 opportunities to appeal:

1. File an appeal to be heard by an IDES Referee.

2. After, if you don't agree with the Referee's decision, File an appeal with the Board of Review.

3. Finally, if you don't agree with the Board of Review's decision, File an Administrative Review Action in Circuit Court.

You should consult an attorney to discuss your appeal and decide whether you want to hire a lawyer to help you win your request. You may be able to get a free lawyer through IDES to help you in the process.

Should I keep certifying for unemployment benefits as I appeal?

Yes. If you decide you are going to appeal the decision, you should continue to look for work, keep a record of your job search, and certify benefits on your certification day, either online or by telephone.

If you win at your hearing, you will only receive benefits for each of the weeks for which you certified that you were able and available for work and that you looked for work. Your former employer has a right to appeal, so understand that the decision is not final for 30 days.