Appeals

Employees and employers, if you don’t agree with a decision Paid Leave Oregon makes, you have the right to appeal it by asking for a hearing to review the decision.

 
 

What should I do before filing an appeal?

  • If we sent you a denial letter that you believe is based on wrong or missing information, we may reconsider the decision without an appeal.
  • You can send us a message from your Frances Online account or call us at 833-854-0166 to provide additional information or documentation that could change our decision.
  • If we don’t change our original decision, we can help you with your appeal request.

What decisions can an employee appeal?

  • Denial of your claim
  • Penalties from Paid Leave Oregon

What decisions can an employer appeal?

  • Your contribution amount
  • Your assistance grant amount
  • Denial of your assistance grant
  • Denial of your equivalent plan
  • Penalties from Paid Leave Oregon

How do employees and employers file an appeal?

You can ask for an appeal in 2 ways:

1. Log in to your Frances Online account.

  • Employees:
    • Log in to your Frances Online account.
    • On the Home screen, find the “Current Paid Leave Benefits” panel. Select “Change Benefit Details.”
    • In the window that opens, select the “File an Appeal” link.
  • Employers:
    • Log in to your Frances Online account.
    • On the Home screen, find the “Wages and Contributions” panel. On this panel, find and select the “More” tab.
    • Then, find the “Appeals” panel and select “Submit a Tax Appeal."
      • You will need your letter ID number.
    • Select the item you would like to appeal and file your appeal.

2. Use the Request a Hearing Form and mail it to:

    Attn: Hearings - Paid Leave Oregon
    Oregon Employment Department
    875 Union St. NE
    Salem, OR 97311

Please don’t send your appeal directly to the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), as this can delay your appeal request. Paid Leave staff must send your appeal to OAH for you.

If you have questions about how to file an appeal or need help filing your appeal, you can contact us.
Contact us

What happens next?

  • Paid Leave will review your appeal and try to help you take care of it.
  • If we can’t help you, Paid Leave will send your appeal to the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH).

What happens after Paid Leave sends my appeal to the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH)?

  • OAH will review your request for an appeal.
  • OAH will schedule a telephone hearing with an administrative law judge. OAH will send you information and instructions on how to call in through the U.S. mail. If you can’t use your phone, you can ask for an accommodation.
  • You can send more information or documents at any time between your initial appeal application and your hearing. You can upload them to Frances Online and send them directly to OAH. Their contact information will be in the letter you receive from them.

What happens during my hearing?

  • An administrative law judge will explain the hearing process to you and answer any questions you may have. 
  • The judge will then take testimony from you, a person representing Paid Leave, and in some cases a person from the Oregon Employment Department Contributions and Recovery unit.
  • Then the judge will either end the hearing or schedule another hearing.
  • If you would like more information about OAH hearing procedure, visit the OAH website’s Representing Yourself page.

When will I receive a decision?

  • The judge will create a final order. A final order is their decision on your appeal. OAH will email the final order to you.
  • The judge’s decision will be final 60 calendar days after they email it.
If you can’t attend your hearing, you must contact the office to reschedule your hearing.
Contact OAH

What if I need an accommodation?

The Oregon Employment Department is an equal opportunity agency. The department provides free help so you can use our services. Some examples are sign language and spoken-language interpreters, written materials in other languages, large print, audio, and other formats. To get help, please call 833-854-0166 (toll-free). TTY users call 711.

What if I can't file my appeal on time?

Employees have 60 calendar days and employers have 20 calendar days to file an appeal.

If circumstances outside your control prevent you from filing your appeal on time, Paid Leave will accept and process your late appeal. Paid Leave can’t decide if your reason for filing late is for good cause, which means for a good reason. The Office of Administrative Hearings has a law judge that reviews all late appeals. This judge will decide if you had a good reason for filing your appeal late.

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