I understand your frustration with the religious accommodation issue. You should definitely document everything about your religious practices and the fact that you need Sundays off for religious observance. When you go to your appeal hearing, bring any documentation you have about your religious beliefs and explain that refusing work due to religious reasons is protected. NYS Department of Labor has to consider religious accommodations under both state and federal law. You might also want to contact a legal aid organization that handles employment issues - they sometimes take cases involving religious discrimination for free or low cost. Don't give up on the appeal process, even though it's frustrating.

Religious accommodation is definitely a protected right that NYS Department of Labor should have considered before denying your benefits. The fact that you couldn't work Sundays due to religious observance isn't a valid "work refusal" under labor law. Beyond the appeal process, you might want to file a complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights if they didn't properly evaluate your religious accommodation request. While you can't directly sue for monetary damages in most cases, documenting religious discrimination could strengthen your position. Keep detailed records of all communications and make sure to emphasize in your appeal that this was a religious accommodation issue, not simply refusing work.

I'm going through the exact same Okta verification nightmare right now! Been trying for 3 days straight and getting nowhere. The phone lines are absolutely impossible - I've called probably 100 times and just get busy signals or that "high call volume" recording. Reading through everyone's solutions here and definitely going to try the Firefox/Safari browser switching and the phone number formatting tips. It's insane that we have to jump through all these hoops just to access our own benefits. Has anyone had luck with the early morning calling strategy? Thinking about setting an alarm for 6:30am to try before the system gets slammed. This whole situation is so stressful when you're already dealing with unemployment! 😤

Been struggling with this Okta issue for days too! After reading through all these suggestions, I tried using Microsoft Edge (never thought I'd be recommending Edge lol) with all extensions disabled and it actually worked! Also had to format my phone number as (xxx) xxx-xxxx in my profile - apparently the system is super picky about that format. The key things that seemed to work: 1) Different browser (Edge/Safari/Firefox) 2) Disable ALL extensions and ad blockers 3) Use incognito/private mode 4) Strong wifi or try mobile hotspot 5) Phone number formatted with parentheses and dash 6) Try during off-peak hours (early morning or mid-afternoon). If you're still stuck after trying all the browser tricks, that claimyr service people mentioned is legit - my neighbor used it and got connected to an agent in under an hour. Don't lose hope, the system is just terribly designed but you'll get through eventually! 💪

good luck with your claim! nonprofit work is so important and its ridiculous that anyone would think those workers dont deserve the same benefits

I can confirm this from personal experience! I worked at a nonprofit health clinic for 4 years and when they had budget cuts, I was able to collect unemployment without any issues. The NYS Department of Labor treated it exactly like any other employer. The key thing is that nonprofits with 4+ employees are required to pay unemployment taxes just like for-profit businesses. Your food bank definitely would have been paying into the system. Don't let anyone discourage you from filing - you earned those benefits!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm in a similar situation - worked in NY but live in Connecticut, been collecting NY unemployment since December. Reading everyone's experiences has made it crystal clear that I need to file the NY IT-203 non-resident return. One question I haven't seen addressed - does the amount of time you worked in NY during the qualifying period matter for tax purposes? I only worked in NY for about 8 months before getting laid off, but my unemployment claim is based on those NY wages. I'm assuming I still owe NY state tax on the full unemployment amount regardless of how long I worked there, but wanted to double-check. Also want to echo what others said about the NY websites being confusing - I spent hours trying to find clear information before finding this discussion. Really appreciate everyone sharing their real-world experiences, especially the specific form numbers and publication references. Makes me feel much more confident about handling this correctly!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now - living in New Jersey but receiving NY unemployment benefits since getting laid off in January. After reading through all these responses, I'm relieved to finally have a clear answer! It sounds like the consensus is definitely that I need to file the NY IT-203 non-resident return and pay NY state tax on the unemployment benefits, then claim a credit on my NJ return to avoid double taxation. The specific references to NY Tax Law Section 631 and Publication 140 are super helpful - I'll definitely look those up. One thing I'm curious about - for those who have been through this process, roughly how long did it take to get your NY refund (if any) processed? I'm wondering if I should file NY first and wait for that to be processed before filing my NJ return, or if it's okay to file both at the same time. Also really appreciate the tip about Claimyr for getting through to the tax department - I've been trying to call for weeks with no luck. After reading about that audit situation, I definitely want to make sure I handle this correctly from the start. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

I just went through this process a few months ago when I lost my retail job. Here's what worked for me: file your initial claim online immediately - don't wait even a day. The sooner you file, the sooner your benefit year starts. For weekly claims, I always file on Sunday afternoons around 2-3pm when the system seems most stable. You'll be claiming benefits for the week that just ended, so your first weekly claim would be filed the Sunday after your first full week of unemployment. One tip - keep detailed records of your job search activities from day one because they'll ask for that info when you certify. The whole process is less scary than it seems once you get started!

Just want to echo what everyone else is saying - file your initial claim TODAY! I made the mistake of waiting thinking there was some cooling off period, but there isn't. You're already behind by a day since you got laid off yesterday. For weekly claims, I've found Tuesday evenings work well too if Sunday doesn't work for your schedule. The system gives you that whole week window (Sunday through Saturday) so you have flexibility. One thing I wish someone had told me - make sure you have your employer's information handy when you file, including their unemployment insurance account number if you have it (might be on your pay stub). It speeds up the process significantly.