Hey @Zara Perez! I just went through this exact same situation a few months ago. The process is actually pretty straightforward once you know what to do. When you certify for your last week (the week ending before you start work), make sure to answer "YES" when they ask if your employment status changed and enter November 17th as your return-to-work date. After that, just stop certifying - don't file a new claim or anything. Your claim stays open for a full year in case you need it again, but it goes inactive once you stop certifying. The key is being honest about your work status on that final certification. I was worried about the same things you mentioned, but as long as you don't keep certifying after you start working, you'll be totally fine. Congrats on landing the job! 🎉

I just went through this same process a couple months back! The good news is it's actually pretty simple once you know the steps. Here's what worked for me: 1. For your last certification (the week before you start work), answer YES when asked if your employment status changed and put in your November 17th start date 2. If you're starting mid-week, report any earnings from your new job for that partial week 3. After that final certification, just stop certifying - no need to "close" anything officially 4. Your claim stays open for a year but goes inactive when you stop certifying The most important thing is DON'T keep certifying once you're working full-time - that's considered fraud and they will make you pay it back with penalties. Also, definitely take a screenshot of your final certification confirmation page showing you reported returning to work. The NY system can be glitchy and it's good to have proof you did everything correctly. Congrats on the new job! It feels great to be back to work after dealing with the unemployment system for months. You've got this! 👍

Just be careful because some severance agreements DO include salary continuation which would count as earned income. Read your severance paperwork carefully to make sure it's truly a lump sum dismissal payment.

I went through this exact situation a few months ago. Emma is right - lump sum severance is typically not considered earned income for unemployment purposes in NY. The key thing is that it's a one-time payment for job loss, not wages for work performed. I'd still recommend keeping all your severance paperwork just in case NYSDOL ever asks for documentation, but you shouldn't need to report it on your weekly claims. Just make sure you're still actively looking for work and reporting any actual earnings from new employment!

Just went through this whole process myself! Had 5 calls total over 6 months - they're definitely not monthly like I thought they'd be. The timing seems totally random but they do eventually stop once you establish a pattern of compliance. My advice is to always answer unknown NY numbers during business hours and keep a simple log of your job search activities. Makes the calls way less stressful when you're prepared!

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences! I'm on my second call and was definitely worried this would be a monthly torture session. Sounds like it varies a lot but eventually stops - that's a huge relief. @Sophie Hernandez your breakdown was super helpful, especially about keeping detailed job search records. I've been kind of winging it with my documentation but clearly need to get more organized before the next call hits!

I'm brand new to this community and currently dealing with this exact nightmare! I made a phone certification error yesterday where I accidentally said I didn't have any job contacts when I actually did complete my required work search activities. I've been absolutely panicking about potential fraud charges and penalties ever since. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - it's incredible how many people have gone through these confusing phone system errors! I immediately sent a detailed message through the secure portal after reading all the advice here, and I'm planning to try both the 8 AM calling strategy and that Claimyr service that so many people have mentioned with success. The practical tips about documenting everything, looking for the TC-FOC form, and asking agents to add notes to your file are incredibly helpful. Success stories like @cc48bca1aca9 and @fa735b3835d3 who got their situations resolved quickly by acting fast really give me hope that this isn't as catastrophic as it feels right now. Thank you all for creating such a supportive thread and sharing your experiences. It's exactly what someone needs when they're panicking about navigating the unemployment system alone. I'll definitely update once I manage to get through to an agent!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share my recent experience since I just went through this exact same situation! I made a phone certification error about two weeks ago - accidentally said I wasn't available for full-time work when I actually was. The panic was absolutely real and I barely slept for days thinking about potential fraud charges. Following the advice I've seen throughout this thread, I immediately sent a detailed message through the secure portal and kept trying the phone line. I actually had success with the 8 AM calling strategy - got through on my third day of trying by calling right at 8:00 AM sharp. The agent was incredibly understanding and said these phone system mix-ups are super common. She corrected my certification in about 15 minutes and confirmed that since I reported it immediately, there were no fraud concerns - just had to repay the one week I wasn't entitled to. No penalties at all! She even added a note to my file documenting the correction for future reference. For anyone currently dealing with this stress - the agents really do understand that the phone system is confusing and treat these as honest mistakes when you report them quickly. The waiting is definitely the worst part, but don't give up. This community has been such a great resource for navigating these situations!

I'm going through something really similar right now with my rheumatoid arthritis. My employer terminated me last month saying I was taking "too many sick days" even though I had a doctor's note and tried to work from home when possible. I filed my claim three weeks ago and it's still pending review. Reading through everyone's experiences here is giving me hope that it will get approved eventually. The most frustrating part is feeling like you have to prove you're sick enough to need accommodations but not so sick that you can't work at all. It's such a fine line to walk. For anyone else in this situation - definitely start gathering all your medical documentation now, even if it feels overwhelming. I wish I had been more proactive about documenting my accommodation requests in writing.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - got let go two months ago because my anxiety disorder was causing me to need mental health days more frequently than they liked. I was terrified to file because I thought getting fired automatically disqualified me, but reading everyone's experiences here is really encouraging! I finally submitted my claim last week and included documentation from my therapist about my condition and the accommodations I had requested (like flexible scheduling for therapy appointments). The waiting is killing me but it sounds like as long as you have medical backing and can show you were trying to work within your limitations, NY DOL is pretty fair about these cases. @Sophia Long definitely file ASAP - the worst they can say is no, but from what I'm seeing here you have a really good chance of getting approved since diabetes is a legitimate medical condition that requires accommodations.