


Ask the community...
Tell your cousin to make sure she has all her employment records when she files. Pay stubs, any written warnings, emails about the safety complaints, etc. The more documentation she has the better her case will be if the employer tries to claim it was misconduct.
The processing improvements are definitely real. NYS Department of Labor streamlined their adjudication workflow and implemented faster payment authorization systems. They also reduced redundant verification steps for established claimants with clean filing histories. If you're filing your weekly claims consistently and meeting job search requirements, the system can now fast-track your payments.
Wait, I'm still having issues with my weekly claims taking forever to process. My account shows pending for 3-4 days every week. Is there something wrong with my claim?
If your weekly claims are still taking that long, you might have a flag on your account that requires manual review. I had this problem and couldn't get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor for weeks. Finally used claimyr.com to get connected to an actual agent who explained the issue. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Turned out I had an old work separation that needed clarification even though it was from months ago.
Most disqualifications I see are for attendance issues or policy violations that employers report as misconduct. Not meeting sales quotas typically wouldn't qualify as misconduct unless there's evidence you weren't trying or were deliberately sabotaging sales. Make sure to request a copy of what your employer submitted to NYS Department of Labor - you're entitled to see their side of the story.
Don't forget you also need to maintain your job search requirements for both NYS Department of Labor benefits AND STEM OPT. The job search for STEM OPT has to be in your field of study, which might be more restrictive than the general NYS Department of Labor job search requirements.
Giovanni Mancini
When I had trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor to get my questions answered about eligibility, I used this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really helped me understand my benefits better once I could talk to someone who knew the system.
0 coins
QuantumQuasar
•That sounds helpful! I've been dreading trying to call them because I heard the wait times are horrible.
0 coins
NebulaNinja
Just to add - unemployment insurance also includes job training and placement services through the NYS Department of Labor. It's not just about collecting checks. They want to help you find new employment as quickly as possible. Some people qualify for extended benefits during high unemployment periods, and there are special programs for things like trade adjustment assistance if your job was lost to foreign competition.
0 coins