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wait i thought we paid into unemployment insurance too?? my pay stub has all kinds of deductions and i assumed some went to unemployment stuff. this is confusing
You're probably thinking of SDI (State Disability Insurance) which does come out of employee paychecks in some states, but NY doesn't have that. Your unemployment benefits are funded by employer taxes to the NYS Department of Labor. If you need to check your eligibility or file a claim, you can log into your my.ny.gov account.
The whole system is set up so employers fund unemployment insurance through their quarterly tax payments to both federal and state agencies. When you file with NYS Department of Labor, they're using money from this pool. If you ever have trouble reaching them about your claim status, I used claimyr.com to get through to an actual agent - there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A JOKE! They make you jump through hoops for benefits you've already paid into through payroll taxes. I've been waiting 6 weeks and still stuck in adjudication hell with no explanation. Meanwhile bills keep piling up and they act like we're asking for charity instead of our own money!
Your boss sounds like he's trying to make you feel bad for claiming benefits you're entitled to. That's manipulative behavior and you shouldn't feel guilty about filing. The unemployment system exists specifically for situations like yours.
I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor when my claim was delayed last year. Ended up using a service called Claimyr that actually got me connected to an agent who could check my status. It's at claimyr.com and they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me weeks of trying to call on my own. Might be worth trying if you need to talk to someone about your timeline.
Freya Collins
ugh the whole system is broken!! they deny claims left and right and then wonder why homelessness is rising and families are falling apart. I was denied too for 'insufficient wages' even though I worked full time for 2 years. TOOK FOREVER to get it straightened out and by then I was already behind on everything. The stress alone makes you sick which costs the healthcare system more money
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LongPeri
•Sorry to hear about your situation. The insufficient wages denial usually means they couldn't verify your employment history properly. Did you eventually get it resolved?
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Eloise Kendrick
You raise good points about community impact. In my case I'm dealing with standby status because of seasonal work and even that creates uncertainty for planning family expenses. When people don't know if their unemployment will continue, they can't make stable housing or childcare decisions.
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