Why is first-hand testimony needed?
The unemployment hearing is used by the State to gather detailed facts about a claimant’s separation. In order to gather the details surrounding the separation, the hearing officer needs to ask questions of the individuals who have direct knowledge of why the claimant is no longer employed. The hearing officer must give weight to firsthand testimony. All other testimony is considered hearsay, and, in some instances, the hearing officer might not even allow hearsay information to be entered into the record. Your hearing representative cannot verbally relay statements by you as testimony.
