Unemployment hearings require first-hand testimony to the facts and/or events under consideration. Therefore, persons with direct knowledge of the issues that caused the job separation, especially those relating to the final incident, are needed to participate at the hearing.

While some states will permit hearsay testimony and accept notarized statements from non-appearing witnesses, this type of information is never sufficient to overcome direct, first-hand testimony from either the claimant or the claimant's witnesses.

So, even if your state does allow hearsay testimony or accept a notarized statement, it is best to be on the safe side and send the witness.  Remember a lost case will cost on average about $4,500 so its worth the time to attend.  You wouldn't want to end up paying for a claim where the claimant wouldn't otherwise be entitled to unemployment benefits under state regulations just because you didn't show up. 

Tammy Mullin