Thompson v. Department of Employment Security

**Thompson v. Department of Employment Security: Court Upholds Strict Deadline for Unemployment Appeals** This case involved a worker named Thompson who tried to appeal the denial of his unemployment benefits but filed his appeal too late. Thompson worked for U-Haul and applied for unemployment benefits through the Illinois Department of Employment Security. When his benefits were denied, he had 30 days to file an appeal, but he missed this deadline. Thompson argued that he never received the notice about the denial in the mail, so he shouldn't be penalized for filing late. However, the Illinois appeals court sided with the state agency. The court found that the notice was properly mailed to Thompson's confirmed address, which was enough to meet legal requirements. The court ruled that the Board of Review had no power to consider appeals filed after the 30-day deadline, regardless of whether Thompson actually received the notice. **What this means for workers:** This case highlights how strictly courts enforce deadlines for unemployment appeals. Workers must keep their address updated with unemployment offices and check their mail regularly. Even if you don't receive a notice, you can still be held responsible for missing deadlines if the notice was sent to your correct address.