Appeal deadline questions after an unemployment denial - 24 weeks in

I was told my separation was for misconduct, which is not what happened. There are 11 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. My employer's version of events does not match mine, and I have emails that show it. If you have appealed before, what helped you prepare?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 3 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.