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The whole system is a nightmare. I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for months and they make everything unnecessarily complicated. Half the time their website doesn't work properly and when you finally get someone on the phone they give you different answers than the last person you talked to.
File NOW! Don't wait even one day. I made that mistake and lost a whole week of benefits because I thought I needed to wait or something. The NYS Department of Labor system is set up so your benefit year starts when you file, not when you lost your job. Even if they deny you initially, you can appeal and still get paid retroactively from your filing date.
I've been on unemployment twice and both times barely covered my expenses. The first time I had to move back in with family because $190/week wasn't cutting it. The second time I was getting $340 which was better but still had to pick up gig work just to survive. The system assumes you have other resources or savings which most of us don't.
Check if you qualify for SNAP benefits too, that can help with groceries. Also look into your local food banks. I know it sucks having to use these programs but unemployment really isn't meant to replace your full income unfortunately.
Isaiah Thompson
Just to clarify - you also need to have worked in at least 2 quarters during your base period. So having wages spread across different quarters helps with eligibility. When you file your claim, the NYS Department of Labor system will automatically calculate if you meet the monetary requirements based on your wage records from all employers who reported your earnings.
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Ruby Garcia
•What if you can't get through to NYS Department of Labor to check your wage records? I've been trying to call for days and keep getting disconnected.
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Alexander Evans
•I had the same problem with calling NYS Department of Labor. Tried for weeks to get through about my base period wages. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. The agent was able to look up my wage history immediately and confirm my eligibility.
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Evelyn Martinez
Don't stress too much about it. When you apply online through my.ny.gov, the system will tell you right away if you meet the monetary requirements. It pulls from all your reported wages automatically. Just make sure you have your Social Security number and employment history ready when you file.
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