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Being late due to childcare might actually be considered good cause depending on your specific situation. If you didn't have reasonable alternatives for childcare and your employer wasn't accommodating, that could strengthen an appeal. Make sure you have documentation about your childcare situation and any communication with your employer about the attendance issues.
I do have some emails where I asked my supervisor about flexible start times because of daycare dropoff. She said no but didn't offer any alternatives. Would that help with an appeal?
You can also try submitting a FOIL request (Freedom of Information Law) for your records if the normal channels don't work. It takes longer but they have to respond within a certain timeframe.
The whole unemployment system is a nightmare designed to wear you down so you give up trying to get benefits you're entitled to. When I applied it took them 6 weeks to process my claim and they 'lost' my paperwork twice. Just be prepared for delays and bureaucratic incompetence.
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone (which is super common), I found this service called Claimyr that actually helps you reach an agent. They basically call for you and get you connected. Check out claimyr.com - they even have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of trying to get through on my own when I had questions about my claim status.
File ASAP! And start keeping track of your job search activities immediately too. NYS Department of Labor requires you to search for work and keep a log starting with your first week of benefits. Don't wait to start looking just because you're getting unemployment - they can audit your job search records.
Connor Byrne
I had issues with my employer not properly reporting my UI contributions last year and it caused problems when I filed for unemployment. Couldn't get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor for weeks to sort it out. Finally found this service called Claimyr that helped me get connected to an actual person at the unemployment office. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Made the whole process way less frustrating than trying to call myself.
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Dmitry Petrov
•Good to know there are options if I run into problems later. Hopefully my new employer is handling everything correctly.
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Yara Elias
The whole system is just another way for them to take money out of our paychecks. I've been paying into unemployment for 15 years and never used it once, but god forbid I miss a payment...
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QuantumQuasar
•I get the frustration but it's insurance - you hope you never need it but you're glad it's there if you do. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
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