Hearing Officer’s Factual Misconduct Findings Cannot Be Ignored

In reversing the Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board’s grant of unemployment benefits to the claimant, the Third Department explained that the hearing officer’s factual findings of disqualifying misconduct cannot be ignored:

While the Board was free to make “independent additional factual findings” and draw its own independent conclusion as to whether claimant’s behavior rose to the level of disqualifying misconduct for purposes of entitlement to unemployment insurance benefits, it was also bound by the Hearing Officer’s “factual findings regarding claimant’s conduct and his conclusion” that claimant had been insubordinate … .  Despite the fact that “the question of claimant’s conduct leading to his termination necessarily had to be considered” in making that assessment, the Board here inexplicably failed to consider whether claimant’s actions … constituted disqualifying misconduct… . Matter of Winters…, 515809, 3rd Dept 9-19-13