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The whole NYS Department of Labor system is a joke honestly. They make you jump through all these hoops and then take forever to process anything. I've been waiting 3 weeks just to get someone to explain why my claim was flagged for 'review' when I was clearly laid off through no fault of my own. Meanwhile bills keep coming and they act like we can just wait indefinitely for their bureaucracy to move.
Just to add - if you were laid off for economic reasons (company downsizing, lack of work, etc.), your claim should process relatively quickly once they verify your employment history. The delays usually happen when there are questions about the reason for separation or if you have wages from multiple employers that need to be sorted out. Keep filing those weekly claims even if they show $0 - you'll get backpay once your claim is approved.
Honestly the whole system is confusing and they don't explain anything clearly. I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for months and half the time I don't understand what they're asking for. But no, unemployment is definitely not social security - completely different bureaucracies making your life difficult in different ways!
Just to add - your unemployment benefits might be taxable income for federal taxes, but that's different from affecting Social Security. Make sure you're setting aside money for taxes if you're not having them withheld from your NYS Department of Labor payments.
Restaurant industry is notorious for pulling this crap. They cut your hours instead of laying you off properly so they don't have to pay into the unemployment system as much. At least NY lets you collect partial benefits unlike some states. Make sure you document everything in case they try to fight your claim later.
I had the same issue with getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone. Someone on here recommended this service called Claimyr that actually calls for you and gets you connected to an agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows exactly how it works. I was skeptical at first but it actually got me through to someone in like 20 minutes when I'd been trying for weeks.
Sean O'Donnell
The NYS Department of Labor system is completely broken! This happens to people constantly and they never explain what's going on. I've been fighting with them for months over different issues and they just give you the runaround every single time.
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Zara Ahmed
•I feel your frustration but that doesn't really help the OP figure out what's wrong with their specific situation.
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StarStrider
def call them or your gonna wait forever for answers. the zero benefits thing usually means theres some kind of hold on your account that you cant see from the website
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