Member, Board of Review

Member, Board Of Review

The Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) administers the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program which provides temporary income assistance to Massachusetts workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own and who are able to work, available for work and looking for a job. The Board of Review consists of three staff members, one serving as Chairman. The Board is responsible for reviewing, on appeal, decisions issued by the Department of Unemployment Assistance's Hearings Department. Responsibilities include :

• Developing policy regarding interpretation of the Massachusetts Unemployment Insurance Law in the Commonwealth through the Board's decisions as the final administrative tribunal prior to the courts;
• Rendering decisions on appeals of claimants and employers from decisions of the Commissioner allowing or denying the payment of benefits and on employers' subjectivity to the law;
• Conducting "de novo" hearings in unemployment compensation cases in which claimants and employers are engaged in labor disputes where cases often involve group of claimants and employers, counsel, and labor union representatives; and
• Making decisions at hearings regarding the introduction of evidence, issuance of subpoenas, and requests for continuance. Approximately 3,000 cases annually are referred to the Board of Review.

Members of the Board of Review are appointed by the Governor and report to the Chair who is the official spokesperson and final board authority in the administrative decision-making process.