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If you really want to visit an office, there are NYS Department of Labor career centers but honestly the online system is so much easier. I tried calling their phone number first and was on hold for like 2 hours before giving up and just doing it online.
Yeah the phone system is terrible. If you absolutely need to talk to someone at NYS Department of Labor, I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call.
omg this explains so much!! I was wondering why the unemployment rate seemed low when everyone I know is either unemployed or underemployed. Sounds like the official numbers don't tell the whole story at all
The whole system is designed to make the numbers look better than reality. When I was on unemployment for 6 months last year, half the people in my job search workshop weren't even counted in the official rate because they'd given up looking or were only working a few hours a week. NYS Department of Labor knows this but they still report the misleading numbers.
I had a similar situation last year - worked part-time retail and wasn't sure if I qualified. Turned out I did! The key thing is having enough wages in your base period. If you're having trouble getting through to the NYS Department of Labor phone lines (which is super common), I actually used a service called Claimyr that helped me get connected to an agent quickly. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really saved me a lot of frustration trying to call myself.
I had similar tax questions about my unemployment benefits and couldn't get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor or the IRS phone lines. After weeks of trying, I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that actually got me connected to a tax specialist who could explain how the unemployment exclusion worked. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really helped me understand what I needed to do.
Aisha Abdullah
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check on your application status, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you actually reach a live agent. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really helped me when my claim got stuck in adjudication for 3 weeks.
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Ethan Wilson
•How much does something like that cost? Seems like we shouldn't have to pay to talk to the people who are supposed to help us.
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Aisha Abdullah
•I get the frustration but honestly when you're waiting weeks for benefits and can't get through on your own, it's worth having options. The demo explains everything better than I can.
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NeonNova
The whole system is a nightmare honestly. They make it so complicated on purpose to discourage people from filing. Just be prepared for lots of waiting and confusing forms.
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StarStrider
•I understand the frustration but the requirements exist for good reasons. Once you get through the initial process it's really not that bad if you stay on top of your weekly claims.
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