


Ask the community...
unemployment basically means your not working full time anymore and looking for work, thats it. if you lost your job you probably qualify unless you got fired for something really bad
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS SET UP TO CONFUSE PEOPLE! They make the language so complicated on purpose so people give up and don't claim benefits they're entitled to. I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for years and they change the rules constantly. Don't let them intimidate you - if you lost your job file a claim and let THEM figure out if you qualify or not!
I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to get clarification on my claim type last year. Spent weeks trying to get through on the phone. Finally used Claimyr.com to connect with an agent - they have this video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Got through to someone within a day and they explained exactly which category my layoff fell under and how it affected my weekly claim requirements.
Don't overthink it too much! The unemployment office just wants to know you lost your job through no fault of your own. Whether its structural or cyclical or whatever doesn't really change your benefits amount or duration. Just be honest on your weekly claims about looking for work and you'll be fine.
Just to add - that $504 is before taxes if you choose to have them withheld. You can elect to have 10% federal tax taken out when you certify your weekly claims. Also make sure you understand the job search requirements because they will audit those and if you don't have proper documentation in your job search log, they can disqualify you.
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A JOKE! They make it impossible to reach anyone and then close early. I've been trying to resolve an overpayment issue for MONTHS and can never get through. These offices should be open evenings and weekends for working people!
Freya Andersen
I had a similar situation last year where I was spending more on job searching than I expected. What helped me was using claimyr.com to get through to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent when I had questions about my job search requirements. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. The agent was able to clarify exactly what they needed in my job search log and gave me some tips about local resources I didn't know about. Much easier than trying to call the regular number and getting hung up on.
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Eduardo Silva
•How much does claimyr cost though? If money's already tight...
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Freya Andersen
•It's worth checking their site for current info. For me, getting clear answers about my requirements was really valuable since I was worried about losing benefits.
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Leila Haddad
The whole system is set up to make us fail! They expect us to spend money we don't have on job searching while giving us barely enough to survive. And then they wonder why people can't find work fast enough. The decrease in prices they promised never happened - everything just keeps getting more expensive while benefits stay the same.
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Emma Johnson
•yeah but complaining won't help with the job search requirements unfortunately
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