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Wait I'm confused about this whole thing. I thought all money you earn from work counts as wages? Why would some payments not be taxable for unemployment purposes but still be income?
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to file your claim, I recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you actually reach a live agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I was stuck trying to get through for days and this got me connected in about 20 minutes. Really helped me get my claim moving when I couldn't reach anyone through the regular phone lines.
Interesting, I might need this if I run into issues. Have you used it successfully?
Yeah, worked great for me. I was skeptical at first but it actually got me through to resolve an adjudication issue that had been pending for weeks.
Don't overthink this - just file your claim! I've been in the workforce for 15 years and have filed for unemployment twice during layoffs. Never once has it come up in job interviews or applications. The whole point of the unemployment system is to provide a safety net for workers. Use it!
The key thing is whether you earned enough wages during your benefit year to meet the monetary requirements for a new claim. If you worked part-time while collecting, those earnings could count toward establishing a new benefit year. You'll need to file a new application and they'll determine if you're monetarily eligible based on your recent work history.
I had the same issue last year and couldn't get through to NYS Department of Labor no matter how many times I called. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. The agent was able to review my work history and walk me through the refiling process. Turned out I did qualify for a new claim.
How does that work exactly? Sounds too good to be true with how impossible it is to reach anyone at NYS Department of Labor these days.
It's legit - they basically handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when they get an agent on the line. Way better than spending hours on hold just to get disconnected.
The whole system was a mess during that time. Biden extended a lot of the pandemic programs that were about to expire under Trump, but the NYS Department of Labor took forever to update their systems. A lot of people had gaps in their benefits while they figured it out. You should check your payment history in your online account to see exactly what you received and when.
Ugh this brings back bad memories! I had to reapply for everything and it took months to get straightened out. The NYS Department of Labor really dropped the ball on communication during that transition.
Same here! I thought I was going crazy because my weekly claim amounts kept changing with no explanation.
Paolo Bianchi
What about tax incentives for small businesses to hire? I keep hearing about these programs but when I apply for jobs at small companies they always say they can't afford to hire. Maybe if NYS Department of Labor had better coordination with economic development agencies? I just feel like there's disconnect between unemployment services and actual job creation policies.
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Ava Williams
•New York does have the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program that gives employers tax credits for hiring certain groups including long-term unemployed. The issue is many small businesses don't know about it or think the paperwork is too complicated.
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Yara Assad
education and retraining is key!!! I went back to school while on unemployment and NYS Department of Labor approved it under their training extension program. Now I have skills employers actually want. But not everyone knows these programs exist - they need better promotion
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Zainab Mahmoud
•Wait, you can go to school while collecting benefits? I thought you had to be available for work immediately. How does that work with the weekly claim requirements?
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