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honestly not sure about the economics but glad ur getting benefits. make sure u keep filing those weekly claims on time or youll have issues with NYS Department of Labor
This reminds me of when I worked at a coffee shop in 2019 and they cut hours after the wage increase. I didn't qualify for unemployment then because I was still working part-time, but it was really stressful trying to make ends meet with reduced hours. The owner was a nice guy but said he literally couldn't afford to keep everyone at full hours. It's a tough situation for everyone involved - workers need living wages but small businesses are struggling too. At least now with your unemployment you have some income while you search for something new.
Good point, I should probably be more optimistic about the job market situation even if the claim process is stressful.
Just to add - unemployment isn't 'free money' like some people think. You earned this benefit through working and your employer paying into the system. Don't feel bad about filing if you're eligible! The worst part is dealing with the NYS Department of Labor phone system when you have questions.
I remember being so confused when I first heard about unemployment benefits too! The amount you get is calculated based on your highest quarter of earnings in your base period. So if you made good money recently, your weekly benefit will be higher. Just make sure to file your claim as soon as possible after losing your job because there can be a waiting period.
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check on your eligibility status, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me actually reach an agent. They have this 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 system is designed to trip you up honestly. They'll find any excuse to deny benefits even when you legitimately deserve them. I got disqualified once because I missed ONE weekly claim certification deadline by like 6 hours. Had to go through the whole appeal process just to get my benefits back.
Saleem Vaziri
been there done that just go to ny.gov and look for unemployment stuff its not that hard to find
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Kayla Morgan
When I applied last year it took forever to get approved because they had to verify my employment history. Make sure all your employer information is exactly right on the application or you'll end up in adjudication hell like I did. NYS Department of Labor is really picky about details.
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Adrian Connor
•What kind of employment information do they need exactly? I worked at a few different places in the past year.
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