Navigating Unemployment Claim Confusion in Mississippi: Seeking Insights on Wage Exclusion

I filed my unemployment claim in Mississippi in mid-May 2026 and received an initial monetary determination showing $0 WBA due to insufficient wages. According to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES), the base period should include the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters prior to my claim date. Since I filed in mid-May, this includes Q1 2025 through Q1 2026. I had a solid income from my latest job during Q1 2026, which was completed by the end of March 2026. However, the determination only considered wages from the previous year (2025) and completely excluded my Q1 2026 wages. They are currently processing my wages from my USPS job in 2025, but it seems they are ignoring my recent employer's wages from 2026, which I find perplexing. I filed a detailed appeal with all necessary documentation, including paystubs and an IRS transcript, but the only response I got was a reiteration of their base period rule without any explanation for excluding my completed quarter's wages. I understand that Q2 2026 can't be used since it's the current quarter, but I don't get why they would exclude wages from a completed quarter like Q1 2026. After some discussion, I realized that the five-quarter block they are considering is Q1 2025 through Q1 2026, and they take the first four of those, which means they only consider wages from all of 2025, dropping Q1 2026. However, MDES specifically requested 2026 wage information from my previous employers, which adds to my confusion. Has anyone else faced this issue in Mississippi? Is this a common occurrence, or should I push harder for a hearing? Any insights or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

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