The opinion
Cite as 2022 Ark. App. 434
ARKANSAS COURT OF APPEALS
DIVISION III
No. E-21-583
Opinion Delivered October 26, 2022
JAMES TANKSLEY
APPELLANT APPEAL FROM THE ARKANSAS
BOARD OF REVIEW
V.
[NO. 2021-BR-02509]
DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF
WORKFORCE SERVICES REMANDED TO SUPPLEMENT THE
APPELLEE RECORD
WAYMOND M. BROWN, Judge
Appellant James Tanksley (Tanksley) appeals from the adverse ruling of the Arkansas
Board of Review (Board) affirming the Arkansas Appeal Tribunal’s (Tribunal’s)
determination that dismissed Tanksley’s appeal, finding that he untimely filed his appeal
under the law and failed to establish that it was due to circumstances beyond his control in
cases No. 2022-AT-01259. We remand to supplement the record.
A brief review of the facts reflects that Tanksley was issued a “Notice of Agency
Determination” on March 2, 2021, granting his application for benefits under Ark. Code
Ann. §11-10-514 (Supp. 2021) on finding that Tanksley was discharged due to poor
performance, but his poor performance was not done willfully and deliberately against the
employer’s best interest. From this determination, for whatever reason, Tanksley filed an
untimely appeal to the Tribunal. Thus, pursuant to Paulino v. Daniels, 269 Ark. 676, 559
S.W. 2d 760 (Ark. App. 1980), Tanksley was afforded a hearing on June 3, 2021. Thereafter,
the Tribunal dismissed Tanksley’s appeal on finding that the untimely filing was not due to
circumstances beyond his control in appeal No. 2021-AT-08689. Then, Tanksley appealed
to the Board. In case No. 2021-BR-02509 the Board affirmed the Tribunal’s decision.
Tanksley next appealed to the Arkansas Court of Appeals in case No. 2021-E-583. The court
of appeals remanded the case to the Tribunal due to the failure to locate the recording of
the June 3 hearing. The remand was docketed as No. 2022-AT- 01259.
According to the record, the June 3rd hearing transcript was never located. Thus, a
February 16, 2022, re-hearing was conducted to supplement the record. Thereafter, the
Tribunal again affirmed the Division’s determination in appeal No. 2022-AT-01259.
Following, a timely appeal the Board again affirmed the Tribunal's decisions. And from this
determination, Tanksley timely appealed to this court.
However, we are unable to reach the merits of this appeal and must remand to
supplement the record. Our record contains a decision, from the Board that indicates the
wrong decision from the Tribunal, which was previously set aside. Additionally, the Board’s
findings are not supported by testimony given at the February 16, 2022, rehearing. From
what we can gather the Board resubmitted its decision from the June 3 hearing, which was
never located, and not within the record before us. The Board stated in its decision that it
had “considered the entire record of prior proceedings before the Appeal Tribunal, including
the testimony submitted at the hearing.” However, the Board’s decision is not supported by
the record. A proper determination must be made from evidence within the record. This
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information is essential to a proper review of the merits here.1 Therefore, we cannot reach
the merits of Tanksley’s claim at this time.
Accordingly, we remand to the Board with specific instructions to settle and
supplement the record with a finding supported by evidence within the record, taking into
account the February 16 rehearing. The supplemental record is to be returned thirty days of
this order.
Remanded to supplement the record.
VAUGHT and MURPHY, JJ., agree.
James Tanksley, pro se appellant.
Cynthia L. Uhrynowycz, Associate General Counsel, for appellee.
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See Van Venrooij v. Dir., 2021 Ark. App. 213; Spicer v. Dir., 2022 Ark. App. 152, at
2.
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