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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!
ugh the whole system is broken!! they deny claims for the stupidest reasons and then make YOU prove you deserve benefits that you already paid for. immigration has nothing to do with unemployment if youre legally authorized to work
Actually immigration status can affect certain benefit programs but not regular UI if you're work-authorized. The confusion might be that some people mix up different types of assistance. For unemployment insurance, if you worked and paid into the system, your immigration status shouldn't matter as long as you were legally employed.
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check on your claim status or get questions answered, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Was way easier than trying to call myself and getting hung up on constantly.
The whole unemployment system is so confusing!! Why can't they just make it simple and say exactly how long you need to work instead of all this base period nonsense. I'm in the same boat as you OP and stressing out about whether I'll qualify.
Just to add some specifics - for 2025, the minimum wage requirement in your base period is $2,800 total, and you need wages in at least 2 quarters of your base period. With 18 months of work at $18/hour, you're definitely over both thresholds. File immediately because there's a waiting week and you want to get your claim processed as soon as possible.
Lucas Parker
I was on unemployment during the 2020 recession and let me tell you, trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor was IMPOSSIBLE back then. Millions of people filing at once completely overwhelmed their phone system. If you ever need to reach them during normal times, I had success using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to an actual agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.
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Declan Ramirez
•That's really helpful! I haven't had issues yet but good to know there are options if I need to talk to someone about my claim status.
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Donna Cline
The whole unemployment system is a joke if you ask me. 'Automatic stabilizer' - more like automatically making people jump through hoops to get benefits they paid into! I've been fighting with NYS Department of Labor for weeks over my adjudication and there's nothing automatic about getting help when you need it.
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Harper Collins
•Sorry you're having troubles with adjudication - that's definitely frustrating. The automatic stabilizer thing is more about the economic theory of how the overall system works rather than individual claim processing unfortunately.
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