You’ve waited & waited for your unemployment hearing & now you’ve finally received your Notice of Hearing. What do you do? How do you register for your unemployment hearing? Registering is simple. Just follow these tips!
TL;DR: REGISTER AS SOON AS YOU GET YOUR HEARING NOTICE!
Instructions from the Notice of Hearing
Read these instructions carefully. Many folks who’ve missed their hearings tell me they thought they had to register at 2:00 PM on the day before the hearing. This understanding is wrong & will prevent you from participating in your hearing.
When to register
The Notice of Hearing gives a deadline by which you must register, not a scheduled time to complete the registration. They say you must register BY 2:00 PM on the BUSINESS day before your hearing. Two key points here:
- BY 2:00 PM means registration must be completed by that time. In other words, do it before 2:00 PM, not AT 2:00 PM.
- On the BUSINESS DAY before your hearing – not the calendar day. And that’s OESC’s business days, not weekdays on your calendar. OESC closes for state-observed holidays. So keep in mind that holidays can reduce the number of days that you have to register for the hearing.
The State publishes a list of observed holidays each year. As of this writing (updated February 15, 2023), the following are days that you should expect OESC to be closed for holidays:
Monday, February 20, 2023 – President’s Day
Monday, May 29, 2023 – Memorial Day
Tuesday, July 4, 2023 – Independence Day
Monday, September 4, 2023 – Labor Day
Friday, November 10, 2023 – Veteran’s Day
Thursday & Friday, November 23 & 24, 2023 – Thanksgiving
Monday & Tuesday, December 25 & 26, 2023 – Christmas
NOTE: OESC & the State of Oklahoma do NOT observe the Juneteenth or Indigenous Peoples’/Columbus Day holidays.
How to register
It takes less than 5 minutes to register for your unemployment hearing. All you need to register is your docket/case number. Registering allows you to provide the phone number for the hearing officer to call you for the hearing. If you have witnesses, you’ll need their names & phone numbers too.
There are 2 ways to register: by phone or online.
By phone
To register by phone, call the Appeal Tribunal directly at 405-601-3311 and choose option 1 from the menu. Do not call the Service Center (the 525 or 1-800 numbers). You will be able to speak to a live person without waiting on hold for an obscene length of time. Give them your case/docket number & name. Then provide your phone number. The customer service representative will confirm the number they recorded & that’s it. You’re registered!
Online
The quickest way is to register online. Enter your case/docket number from the top of your hearing notice, your name & the phone number where the hearing officer can reach. Make a note of your confirmation number just in case there’s a problem or you need to update your registration later. If you do not see a confirmation number, register again. There’s no harm in registering more than once.
The Takeaway
Do not wait until the last minute to register. REGISTER AS SOON AS YOU GET YOUR HEARING NOTICE! The Appeal Tribunal will close your case & dismiss your appeal if you are not registered in advance.
If you miss your registration deadline or your hearing, read this post to learn how to request a reopen of your case.
Questions?
If you have questions about how to register for your hearing, you can contact the Appeal Tribunal at 405-601-3311. Do not wait until the last minute. When you’re our client, we can usually take care of the registration for you. Want to learn more? Schedule a meeting with us today!
