Neither confusion concerning the administrative procedure nor an agency employee's incorrect information toll the running of the Statute of Limitations for filing an appeal
Smith v Commissioner of Labor, 2012 NY Slip Op 05887, Appellate Division, Third Department
An applicant for unemployment insurance benefits received two notices of rejecting his claim for benefits.
In response to his filing a request for an administrative hearing challenging the denial of his claim, an Administrative Law Judge ruled that the request for the hearing was untimely filed. The Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board affirmed the ALJ’s decision and the applicant challenged the Board's ruling.
The Appellate Division sustained the Board’s ruling, noting that §620(1)(a) of the Labor Law provides that in the event an applicant for unemployment insurance benefits is dissatisfied with an initial determination, he or she must request a hearing within 30 days unless physical or mental incapacity prevents him or her from doing so.
In this instance the applicant admitted that he had received the notice of determination shortly after it was mailed and was aware of the 30-day time limit for requesting a hearing.
Noting that the applicant had testified that he failed to request a hearing within 30 days “because he thought he needed to wait until his summer employment ended to do so, and he stated that he received advice to that effect from Department of Labor employees following the initial denial of his application for benefits,” the Appellate Division held that “neither claimant's confusion regarding the two notices … nor the erroneous advice from the Department … provides a basis for us to disturb the Board's decision.”
The decision is posted on the Internet at: