Trask v. Department of Employment & Training

749 A.2d 1130, 170 Vt. 589, 2000 Vt. LEXIS 18
CourtSupreme Court of Vermont
DecidedJanuary 25, 2000
DocketNo. 99-143
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 749 A.2d 1130 (Trask v. Department of Employment & Training) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Vermont primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Trask v. Department of Employment & Training, 749 A.2d 1130, 170 Vt. 589, 2000 Vt. LEXIS 18 (Vt. 2000).

Opinion

Claimant Geoffrey Trask appeals the Employment Security Board’s dismissal of his appeal from a claims adjudicator’s determination. The Board concluded that his appeal was untimely filed. Claimant now argues that (1) the appeal was timely filed; (2) he was denied due process by a five-day delay between the determination and his receipt of the decision; and (3) he was denied “prompt notice in writing” of the determination in violation of 21 V.S.A. § 1348(a). We affirm.

Claimant filed a claim for unemployment compensation benefits on January 5, 1997. On October 9, 1998, the claims adjudicator determined that claimant had erroneously received temporary workers’ compensation benefits in excess of his weekly unemployment compensation benefit amount totaling $5,425.00, and was liable to repay these overpaid benefits to the Department of Employment and Training (DET). This determination was mailed by certified mail, and claimant received it on October 15, 1998. Claimant’s appeal rights were stated at the end of the determination:

YOUR APPEAL RIGHTS: This determination may be appealed within thirty (30) calendar days from the determination date [590]*590shown above. Your appeal must be in writing and may be filed in person at any District Office or at the Central Office in Montpelier. The appeal may also be filed by mail, in which case the postmark date is considered the date of appeal, or fax, in which case the fax date is considered the date of appeal.

(Emphasis added.) The thirty-day appeal period expired on Sunday, November 8, 1998. Because the post office is closed on Sundays, claimant mailed his appeal on Monday, November 9, 1998, thirty-one days after the claims adjudicator’s determination. DET received the appeal on Thursday, November 12, 1998.

On December 8,1998, the chief appeals referee conducted a telephone hearing. The following day, the referee dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction, stating that because claimant’s appeal was filed more than thirty days after the determination date, it was untimely and could not be considered on its merits. On January 6,1998, claimant appealed this decision to the Board. The Board held a hearing on January 28,1999. On February 23, 1999, the Board affirmed the referee’s decision.

On appeal to this Court, claimant first argues that the appeal was timely filed because he could not mail his request to appeal on the thirtieth day of the appeal period, as it fell on a Sunday, but he did mail it on the thirty-first day, a Monday.

In Allen v. Vermont Employment Security Bd., 133 Vt. 166, 333 A.2d 122 (1975), we held that a timely appeal is jurisdictional, and that V.R.C.P. 6(a) and (e) do not apply in the unemployment compensation administrative appeal process.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Lisa Tilley v. Department of Labor
Supreme Court of Vermont, 2026
Ard Realty v. Dept Health
Vermont Superior Court, 2025
Christina M. Fisher v. Department of Labor
Supreme Court of Vermont, 2024
Paul Webster v. Department of Labor
Supreme Court of Vermont, 2023
Samantha R. Angstman v. Department of Labor
Supreme Court of Vermont, 2022

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
749 A.2d 1130, 170 Vt. 589, 2000 Vt. LEXIS 18, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/trask-v-department-of-employment-training-vt-2000.