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I was in a similar spot last year where I needed to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor to get clarification on my work history and earnings. The phone lines are always swamped, but I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting disconnected. Might be worth checking out if you need to speak with someone directly about your specific situation.
This whole system is ridiculous honestly. You work and pay into unemployment insurance but then when you actually need it there's all these hoops to jump through. The earnings requirements basically shut out anyone who's been working part time or just starting out.
This whole system is broken!! I've been waiting 7 WEEKS for my fact finding to complete and every time I call they tell me 'just wait longer.' Meanwhile I'm behind on everything and my credit is getting destroyed. NYS Department of Labor acts like our financial emergencies don't matter while they take their sweet time reviewing paperwork.
For what it's worth, make sure you're continuing to file your weekly claims even while waiting for the adjudication to complete. A lot of people stop filing thinking there's no point, but you need those weeks on record to get your back pay once the decision comes through. Also keep documenting your job search activities since you'll need to meet those requirements once benefits start.
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to clarify your situation, I had success using a service called Claimyr at claimyr.com. They help you get through to an actual agent instead of being stuck in phone queue hell. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really helped me get answers about my disqualification appeal.
Just a heads up - if your employer fights the claim and says you were fired for cause, you might have to go through an adjudication process. Could take weeks to resolve. Document everything about why you think the firing was unfair.
ElectricDreamer
This whole system is so confusing! Why can't they just make it clear whether unemployment is income or not? I'm worried I'm going to mess up my taxes because of this. Are there penalties if you don't report it correctly?
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Giovanni Moretti
•The IRS can assess penalties and interest if you don't report unemployment income, but if it's an honest mistake they're usually reasonable about working with you to fix it. Just make sure you include it this year.
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Ava Johnson
yeah its income everywhere basically. taxes, assistance applications, everything. i had unemployment for 6 months and had to report it on literally every form i filled out
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