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sectoral shifts are just fancy words for 'the economy screwed you over' lol. doesn't matter what type of unemployment it is, the NYS Department of Labor treats everyone the same - badly
Actually had to deal with this exact situation last year when I got laid off after 2 years of steady work. The NYS Department of Labor rep I finally got through to explained that my consistent employment actually worked in my favor - higher benefit amount and no complications with previous claims to sort through. If you're having trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor when you need them, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.
The whole system is ridiculous! You lose your job, then you lose your home, and they still expect you to jump through all these hoops for a few hundred dollars a week. Meanwhile they make it impossible to actually talk to someone when you have questions. It's like they WANT people to give up and stop claiming.
The NYS Department of Labor benefit formula is: (high quarter wages ÷ 26) = weekly benefit amount, but it can't exceed the state maximum. If your coworker worked longer before filing, her high quarter was probably higher than yours, which would explain the difference in weekly amounts.
Jayden Hill
Don't forget you still have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits! A lot of people forget that and get surprised come tax time. You can have them withhold 10% federal taxes when you certify your weekly claims.
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LordCommander
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A NIGHTMARE! They make it impossible to figure out how much you'll get until AFTER you file and then half the time the adjudication takes forever. I waited 6 weeks just to find out my benefit amount because they had to verify my previous employer info.
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Lucy Lam
•That sounds really frustrating! I hope my case goes smoother than that.
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