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I actually had trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor to ask similar questions about my claim status. If you need to speak with an agent directly about your benefits, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to unemployment offices by phone. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really saved me hours of calling and getting busy signals when I needed to verify some details about my weekly certification.
I had such a hard time reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor when I got my 602a notice. Kept getting busy signals and automated hangups. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent who explained exactly what they needed. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Made the whole process way less stressful.
One thing to watch out for - if there are any issues with your claim it can go into adjudication which means delays while they investigate. This can happen if your employer contests the claim or if there are questions about why you left your job. During adjudication you won't get paid until it's resolved, which can take weeks or even months sometimes.
Trump era unemployment rates were historically low until COVID hit. In NY specifically, unemployment was around 3.8% in 2019. But that doesn't really affect your individual benefit calculation - that's still based on your earnings history with NYS Department of Labor wage records.
Olivia Evans
Whatever you do, don't trust those scam websites that promise to file for you for hundreds of dollars upfront. Stick with legitimate options like the career centers or official NYS Department of Labor resources.
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Sophia Bennett
same thing happened to me last year except i waited 2 weeks before filing because i thought maybe my job would call me back. BIG mistake - you lose those first 2 weeks of benefits forever. file as soon as possible even if you think you might get your job back
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Ella Knight
•Oh wow, I didn't realize that! I'll definitely file this week then. Thanks for the warning.
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