Agresta v. Board of Review

556 A.2d 360, 232 N.J. Super. 56, 1989 N.J. Super. LEXIS 125
CourtNew Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division
DecidedApril 5, 1989
StatusPublished

This text of 556 A.2d 360 (Agresta v. Board of Review) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Agresta v. Board of Review, 556 A.2d 360, 232 N.J. Super. 56, 1989 N.J. Super. LEXIS 125 (N.J. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

O’BRIEN, J.A.D.

Thomas S. Agresta (claimant) appeals from a decision of the Board of Review affirming a decision of the Appeal Tribunal. We reverse and remand.

After 19 years of employment, claimant lost his position as an engineer with 3M Company1 due to a plant closing. Claimant began receiving unemployment benefits on April 27, 1986. He moved to New York State in May 1986 where he applied for and received out-of-state benefits. See N.J.S.A. 43:21-21. When his base unemployment benefits ended in November 1986, he applied for benefits as a Trade Readjustment Allowance [58]*58(TRA).2 Claimant was granted TRA benefits which he received from December 6, 1986 through April 25, 1987.

Since claimant was unable to find a full-time engineering position, he took courses and obtained a real estate license and accepted a position in December 1986 as a part-time real estate salesman on a commission only basis. According to claimant, before beginning this part-time employment, he inquired as to how to handle this in relation to his unemployment benefits. First he inquired of the New York State Unemployment Office which referred him to the New Jersey office. Plaintiff alleges he spoke to someone in the New Jersey office on the telephone and was advised that he should simply report that he was doing part-time real estate sales work and the amount of money he earned in that capacity, which he did.

In April 1987 claimant was told to submit a new claim which was ultimately rejected pursuant to N.J.S.A. 43:21-4(c) on the ground that he was unavailable for work because he was employed as a commissioned real estate salesman. This determination by the deputy was originally mailed on July 7, 1987, but a corrected determination was mailed on July 8, 1987 changing the language from “a real estate agent” to “a commissioned real estate salesman.” Claimant does not deny receipt of this notice of determination, nor that he did not appeal from it. At that time claimant concluded he would not appeal since he only had a couple of weeks of remaining eligibility.

The notice of determination had the following language stamped on it: “You are liable to repay all benefits received during the above period of ineligibility/disqualification.” The claimant notes this stamp was “smeared and poorly stamped.”

[59]*59Thereafter claimant received a “request for refund of unemployment or disability benefits” mailed on September 14, 1987, seeking repayment of $4,494 for the period December 6,1986 to April 25, 1987. On the reverse side is shown a schedule of overpayments, noting that claimant did not earn any wages during the period in question. This form contains the following language:

7. ANY APPEAL FROM THIS REQUEST MUST BE IN WRITING AND MUST BE RECEIVED OR POSTMARKED WITHIN TEN DAYS FROM THE DATE OF MAILING OF THIS NOTICE. THIS MAY BE DONE IN PERSON AT THE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE CLAIMS OFFICE NEAREST YOUR RESIDENCE, OR BY MAIL TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS, ATTENTION APPEAL TRIBUNAL. PLEASE KEEP THE ENVELOPE IN WHICH THIS DETERMINATION WAS RECEIVED AND BRING BOTH WITH YOU TO ANY HEARING RESULTING FROM SUCH APPEAL. IF YOU DO NOT APPEAL WITHIN TEN DAYS, THE DETERMINATION REQUEST FOR REFUND COVERED BY THIS NOTICE WILL BECOME FINAL.

On September 24, 1987, plaintiff appealed by letter in which he noted he was told simply to report the information that he was working as a part-time “commission only” real estate sales agent, and that he “started as a part-time ‘commission only’ sales agent.” He reported every two weeks that he received no income because he made no real estate sales. In his letter claimant asked:

Since I reported on the forms as required and not once was told this would make me ineligibile — why are you requesting repayment now?
If I had known this was not acceptable I probably would have altered my course of action — it was through your Department’s inefficiency that I was led astray — In any event—
—I have no resources to pay this back.
—I have a total of ten dependents to support.
—My income now is just barely enough to feed my family—

Claimant also sought the names of all persons who had approved the payments during this period, noting that they were as much at fault as he for the supposed overpayment.

A telephone hearing was conducted on January 28, 1988 by Appeals Examiner Olga Hawley who also signed the decision for the Appeal Tribunal. In that decision the Appeal Tribunal finds as facts that claimant appealed on September 24, 1987 [60]*60from a determination of the deputy mailed on July 7, 1987. It also notes that the claimant appealed on September 24, 1987 from a request for refund from the director mailed on September 14, 1987. Reference is made to the stamp on the deputy’s decision mailed on July 7,1987 that, “You are liable to repay all benefits received during the above period of ineligibility/disqualification” and that claimant did not appeal.

Since the deputy’s decision became final on July 17, 1987, the Appeal Tribunal concluded it did not have jurisdiction to review the issue of claimant’s availability as of November 30, 1986 on its merits. It further concluded that the request for refund was “properly set up as a result of the determination mailed on July 7, 1987” and that the determination of the director would not be disturbed. It thus concluded claimant is liable to refund $4,494 received as benefits for the weeks ending December 6, 1986 through April 25,1987, in accordance with N.J.S.A. 43:21— 16(d) and N.J.A.C. 12:17-10.2, unless the director directs otherwise by regulation.

The claimant filed a timely appeal to the Board of Review which concluded in affirming the decision of the Appeal Tribunal:

Since the appellant was given a full and impartial hearing and a complete opportunity to offer any and all evidence, there is no valid ground for a further hearing.

Claimant has appealed to this court and we now reverse and remand.

In its brief the Board of Review relies upon our decision in Lowden v. Board of Review, 78 N.J.Super. 467 (App.Div.1963), in which we held we did not have jurisdiction to review a claimant’s appeal because he did not comply with the statutory time period for appeal set forth in N.J.S.A. 43:21-6(b)(l), which provides in pertinent part:

Unless the claimant or any interested party, within seven calendar days after delivery of notification of an initial determination or within 10 calendar days after such notification was mailed to his or their last-known address and addresses, files an appeal from such decision, such decision shall be final and benefits shall be paid or denied in accordance therewith, except for such [61]*61determinations as may be altered in benefit amounts or duration as provided in this paragraph.

The claimant in this case did not appeal within the allotted time, as a result of which the deputy’s decision became final. However, claimant did file a timely appeal from the request for refund.3

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Related

Malady v. BD. OF REVIEW, DIV. OF EMP. SECURITY
400 A.2d 119 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1979)
Malady v. Board of Review
388 A.2d 947 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1978)
Lowden v. Board of Review
189 A.2d 224 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1963)
Malady v. Board of Review
388 A.2d 982 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1977)
Reid v. Department of Labor & Industry
396 A.2d 363 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1978)

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Bluebook (online)
556 A.2d 360, 232 N.J. Super. 56, 1989 N.J. Super. LEXIS 125, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/agresta-v-board-of-review-njsuperctappdiv-1989.