You should hear from your appeal for unemployment within two to three weeks. If you do get something, and they have scheduled you for a phone hearing, call them and request an in person hearing, is my best advice in your particular situation. (615)741-2736. Otherwise, they may say, "Can't use the phone, huh? Well, how are you using the phone now?"
Keep on making your weekly certifications for benefits until you have this hearing. If you have stopped, call in again and get your claim reopened. This is the only way you would be backpayed for all these weeks if you win your appeal.
You were denied because you gave these people a nice letter of resignation. What you are going to have to do in the appeal is give the referee the whole story. Why you were FORCED to resign. You did some unwise things in this situation. If you had your worker's comp attorney at this time, I cannot imagine why he would have let you do what you did, resign from your job with an unsettled claim, having been released to light duty and offered a job that was unsuitable for you due to a physical limitation you have.
Okay, you were released to light duty, and you notified your employer. They waited a while, and then offered you the receptionist job. At this point, you must answer some very important questions during your unemployment hearing. First, did anyone, even just your supervisor have any idea that you were hearing impaired? Did you wear hearing aids? Have you told anyone on that job you cannot hear well, that you are deaf on one side and limited on the other? We're trying to show that they offered you a job they strongly suspected you would refuse to do, see?
When whoever it was offered you the job, you said, "But I can't do that!" and he hung up on you, right? Or said,"That's tough! We'll have your letter of resignation, then!" and then hung up on you. In other words, he would not discuss your situation with you. Did you make any other effort to contact anyone, talk to your employers, talk to your attorney, the county executive...about the fact that this was a really mean thing to do to you? In other words, what did you try to do to resolve the situation before resigning.
Did you write your own letter of resignation? Did you indicate to them that you were very open to doing other light duty jobs, that it was this particular job you could not do? And by the way, mention that you have a doctor's statement saying that you cannot do this job. I wonder at which point you got the statement, but anyhow, you certainly want to get it presented at the unemployment hearing.
All they have to say is, "See, he resigned. We have his letter!" But your case is going to be that you would not otherwise have left, that you wanted to keep working at your job, that you were forced to resign by being offered a very unsuitable job (based on your impairment) when you had been released to light duty while filing a worker's comp case. You need to say that you feel the whole incident was a retaliation against you for the worker's comp situation, and that you made every effort to keep your job.
That said, you should hear about two weeks after your appeals hearing. As for the worker's comp case, keep pursuing it. If I was paying this attorney, I'd be bugging him to get 'er done, help me all he could.
By the way, at no time, during your unemployment process, should you ever indicate that you cannot do anything in terms of job duties, other than the restrictions put on you by the doctor, the original light duty restrictions. Otherwise, say that you are able and available for full time work. Don't even say, "I can't use the phone!" (though you have the doctor's note for that) Say "I'd be willing to take a shot at it if the employer things I'm qualified and wants to hire me!"