The manner in which appeals shall be taken, the reports thereon required from the department, the claimant and employers, and the conduct of hearings and appeals, shall be in accordance with rules of procedure prescribed by the board whether or not such rules conform to common law or statutory rules of evidence and other technical rules of procedure. Rules established by the board shall permit either party to a hearing to testify via telephone, without regard to distance of hearing location from either party.

When the same or substantially similar evidence is relevant and material to the matter in issue in applications and claims filed by more than one individual or in multiple applications and claims filed by a single individual the same time and place for considering each such application and claim may be fixed, hearings thereon jointly conducted, a single record of the proceedings made and evidence introduced with respect to any application or claim considered as introduced with respect to all of such applications or claims: Provided, That in the judgment of the board or referee having jurisdiction of the proceeding such consideration will not be prejudicial to any party.