Unemployment hearings are usually handled over the phone, which is more convenient than having to travel to an office; however, phone hearings may take a little more preparation for you. If you were denied benefits and have a phone hearing scheduled, here are three things you may need to do.

You will need to send documentation ahead of time

An unemployment hearing is used to gather evidence that may help you get the benefits you need. In order to prove that you are entitled to benefits, you may need to send evidence to the board responsible for hearing your case. When this is necessary, the documents must be sent in advance so the person interviewing you has them in front of him or her.

You can send them by mail, email, or fax, but they must be there before your hearing. The types of documents you will need to send can include any types that prove your side of the story. This could include:

• Pay stubs
• Employee handbooks
• Warning letters
• Phone bills
• Written work evaluations
• Doctor bills or reports

Send in any documents that you think would benefit you in the decision made by the unemployment hearing board. When you have your hearing, you should also have the documents ready so you can look at them during the conversation if necessary.

Determine who your witnesses are

Even if your hearing is going to be handled over the phone, you can still have witnesses. If witnesses will willingly participate on your behalf, you can give their names and phone numbers to the unemployment board. If there are witnesses that could give testimony that would help your case that are not willing to come forward and testify, you could have them subpoenaed.

Hire a lawyer

If you feel that your hearing will not go well or if you would prefer letting someone else handle your case, you may want to hire a lawyer that specializes in unemployment cases. With a lawyer on your side, you will still have to answer questions over the phone; however, you will have legal advice and assistance from your lawyer. Fighting for unemployment rights is not easy to do on your own, especially if you have already been denied several times.

Getting unemployment compensation is not always easy to do. It may take months to get approved, and you may have to fight to get approved. For more information, contact an unemployment attorney in your area.