Morgan v. Employment Dept.

# Morgan v. Employment Department **What Happened** Morgan filed a claim asking the state to review a decision that denied her unemployment benefits. However, she did not submit her request within the required 20-day deadline. When the Employment Appeals Board rejected her case because it was filed late, Morgan appealed to the Oregon Court of Appeals. **What the Court Decided** The court sided with the Employment Department. The judges upheld the decision to dismiss Morgan's case without hearing it on the merits, because she missed the filing deadline and did not provide a valid reason for the delay. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling reinforces that unemployment benefits deadlines are strict and must be followed carefully. If you're denied benefits and want to challenge that decision, you have only 20 days to request a formal review. Simply being late is not enough—you also need to show there was a good reason for missing the deadline (such as a medical emergency or receiving misleading information). Workers should act quickly when they receive benefit denials and understand these timelines apply to everyone.