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I was in a similar situation last year - mostly freelance work but had some regular employment mixed in. The key is understanding what counts toward your base period. NYS Department of Labor only considers W2 wages from employers who paid unemployment taxes on your behalf. 1099 income doesn't count at all unfortunately.
The whole system is set up to screw over workers. Employers pay these tiny amounts compared to what we actually need to live on, then they fight our claims to keep their rates low. Meanwhile we're struggling to survive on $385 a week in this economy. The NYS Department of Labor should be on our side but they make it impossible to even talk to someone!
The NYS Department of Labor phone system is impossible when you need to discuss complex situations like this. I spent weeks trying to get through to explain my disability situation. Finally used claimyr.com to actually reach an agent who could review my case properly. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Worth it when you need real answers about eligibility.
Mateo Rodriguez
I had such a hard time getting through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about this exact situation. Spent hours on hold and kept getting disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual agent who could explain the rules for my specific case. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration trying to get answers about whether I could transition from workers comp to unemployment when my claim ended.
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Aisha Hussain
•Never heard of that before but might be worth looking into. Getting through to NYS Department of Labor is definitely a nightmare.
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GalacticGladiator
The whole system is so confusing! Why can't they just have one program that covers all situations when you can't work? Makes no sense to have workers comp AND unemployment with completely different rules and agencies handling them.
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Zara Malik
•They serve different purposes though. Workers comp is insurance your employer pays for workplace injuries. Unemployment is for when you lose your job through no fault of your own. Combining them would create more problems than it solves.
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