Howard v. Employment Division

663 P.2d 429, 63 Or. App. 227, 1983 Ore. App. LEXIS 2775
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedMay 11, 1983
Docket82-AB-1151; CA A25558
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 663 P.2d 429 (Howard v. Employment Division) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Howard v. Employment Division, 663 P.2d 429, 63 Or. App. 227, 1983 Ore. App. LEXIS 2775 (Or. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

*229 NEWMAN, J.

Petitioner seeks review of a final order of the Employment Appeals Board which affirmed the referee’s decision denying petitioner’s request to extend the time to appeal from an administrative decision of the Employment Division. We affirm.

Petitioner left his employment at Tidewater Dry Kilns as a lumber grader on August 4,1981. He filed a claim for unemployment compensation benefits. The Employment Division on August 26, 1981, denied him benefits, because he had “voluntarily left work without good cause.” Petitioner did not appeal the decision within 20 days. See ORS 657.265(3).

Printed on the reverse side of the copy of the administrative decision petitioner received was the following information:

“CONDITIONS FOR SATISFYING A DISQUALIFICATION
“IF BENEFITS WERE DENIED BECAUSE IT WAS FOUND THAT YOU:
“Were discharged or suspended for misconduct connected with your work — or — voluntarily left work without good cause — or — failed without good cause to apply for available suitable work when referred — or — failed without good cause to accept suitable work when offered
“YOU ARE DISQUALIFIED UNTIL YOU HAVE EITHER:
“(1) Performed service for which remuneration is received equal to or in excess of your weekly benefit amount in 4 separate weeks subsequent to the week in which the disqualifying act occurred, or
“(2) Registered for work at an employment office and subsequently established that you were able, available, actively seeking and unable to obtain suitable work in 8 separate weeks by claiming benefits for each of such weeks subsequent to the week in which the disqualifying act occurred.
a* * * * *
“APPEAL RIGHTS AND PROCEDURES
“TO THE CLAIMANT AND THE EMPLOYER:
“If you believe this decision is contrary to the law or facts *230 and if you want a hearing, the law provides that you must file a Request for Hearing within 20 days of the date of mailing. The last day for this timely filing is shown on the face of this form. This period may be extended for a reasonable time if good cause can be shown for late filing.
<<* ‡‡‡

Petitioner satisfied the eight-week disqualification in paragraph (2). See ORS 657.176. Benefits were then reinstated and continued on an uninterrupted basis. About April 3,1982, petitioner received a “pre-exhaustion notice.” It advised him that the balance on his Oregon unemployment insurance claim was reduced to $300 and “if you are still unemployed and desire to continue claiming benefits, contact your local office for information about other entitlement for which you might be eligible.”

Petitioner contacted the local Employment Division office and was informed that he was not eligible for “Extended Benefits” during an additional 13 weeks, because he had not yet worked one week since the date of the disqualifying separation in August, 1981, for a remuneration at least equal to petitioner’s benefit amount. ORS 657.325 (as amended by Or Laws 1981, ch 46 (effective April 5,1981)).

On April 12, 1982, petitioner requested a hearing on the August 26,1981, decision. ORS 657.875 provides that the 20-day period within which a petitioner may request a hearing by the referee “may be extended, upon a showing of good cause therefor, a reasonable time under the circumstances of each particular case.” The referee held that petitioner failed without good cause to file a request for hearing within the 20-day limit. The referee stated:

“Although the claimant’s representative argued that the failure of the Administrative Decision to include information regarding its possible effect on the claimant’s receipt of Extended Benefits justified the claimant’s delay in filing a Request for a Hearing, that argument is not persuasive * * * the fact that the claimant was unaware of all possible future effects of the disqualification is not a grounds for extending the time for filing an appeal.”

The Employment Appeals Board affirmed, stating:

“We have consistently held that failure to understand a decision and its impact does not constitute good cause to *231 extend the appeal period. Therefore, we find that claimant’s lack of understanding of all possible future effects of the Administrative Decision is not grounds for extending the time for filing an appeal.”

Our scope of review of the Board’s decision not to extend claimant’s appeal period is defined by ORS 183.482(7) and (8). 1 See ORS 657.282. Petitioner does not argue that respondent erroneously interpreted a provision of law or exercised its discretion outside its delegated range of discretion, or that its position is inconsistent with any agency rule, officially stated agency position or prior agency practice. 2 Neither does he argue that respondent violated a statute or rule which requires it to advise him of all the effects of its administrative decision that he had “voluntarily left work without cause.” No such statute or rule exists. Compare ORS 656.268(3); see also *232 McPherson v. Employment Division, 285 Or 541, 591 P2d 1381 (1979).

Petitioner, however, claims that because respondent did not advise him of all the effects of its administrative decision it was equitably estopped to deny him a delayed appeal. Petitioner also claims that he was deprived of due process of law under both the federal and state constitutions because, by failing to disclose the impact of the administrative decision on his extended benefits, respondent “effectively foreclosed an appeal.”

Petitioner’s claim that he was denied due process is without merit. The notice he received was sufficient to enable a person of ordinary perception to understand the nature and purpose of the notice, to advise petitioner that he was denied employment benefits because he had “voluntarily left work without good cause” and to inform him of his appeal rights.

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Related

Kramarevcky v. Department of Social & Health Services
863 P.2d 535 (Washington Supreme Court, 1993)
Lentz v. McMahon
777 P.2d 83 (California Supreme Court, 1989)
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710 P.2d 788 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1985)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
663 P.2d 429, 63 Or. App. 227, 1983 Ore. App. LEXIS 2775, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/howard-v-employment-division-orctapp-1983.