similar thing happened to my cousin except it was a construction company that was paying everyone under the table. took months to sort out because there was literally no paper trail of employment

I went through something similar with a small tech startup that folded suddenly. The key is to document EVERYTHING - not just pay stubs, but also your offer letter, any email confirmations about your salary, direct deposit records from your bank, and even text messages about work schedules if you have them. NYS Department of Labor investigators are actually pretty thorough once they open a case against an employer who didn't pay UI taxes. They'll cross-reference your documentation with any records the employer did file (like quarterly tax reports) to build your wage history. The process can take a while, but they do backdate your benefits to when you first filed, so you won't lose out on money you're entitled to.

One more bit of advice - in your appeal hearing, if the employer mentions "restructuring" as the reason for separation, that's actually very helpful for your case. Restructuring is considered a lack of work situation, which is a qualifying reason for unemployment benefits. Make sure to point out the contradiction between what they told you (restructuring) and what they told NYSDOL (voluntary quit). This kind of inconsistency often sways appeal decisions in the claimant's favor.

I'm dealing with something similar right now - my employer is claiming I was a "no call no show" when I was actually sick and called in. It's so frustrating how they can just lie like that! From reading everyone's advice here, it sounds like the key is having any kind of documentation. Do you have anything in writing about the "restructuring" they mentioned? Even an email about the meeting or anything referencing company changes could help show it wasn't your choice to leave. Also, if any of your coworkers were also let go around the same time due to this "restructuring," that would be really strong evidence that it was a layoff situation, not you quitting. Good luck with your hearing!

one thing to remember is you still need to keep doing your job search activities even during the refiling process. dont skip your weekly certifications either

Just went through this same situation about 3 weeks ago! The key thing is to file your new claim as soon as your benefit year ends - don't wait. I made the mistake of waiting a few days thinking I needed some kind of official notice, but you can file immediately. The whole process took me about 30 minutes online. One tip: have your bank account info ready because they'll ask if you want direct deposit set up again. Also, if you've been keeping track of your job search activities, make sure you have those records handy because they might ask about what you've been doing to look for work. The waiting period for the new claim was only about a week for me, much faster than my original claim last year.

ugh the whole system is so confusing!! i wish they would just tell you upfront what you qualify for instead of making you guess

The base period is actually really important to understand - it's the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file your claim. So if you file in 2025, they'd look at your earnings from early 2024 through late 2024, not just recent weeks. This means your full-time job earnings will definitely be considered if they fall within that timeframe. I'd recommend calling them directly or using their online calculator with your actual quarterly earnings to get the most accurate estimate.

I had the exact same problem a few months ago! What worked for me was going through the my.ny.gov portal and using the "Account Recovery" option instead of just the PIN reset. It walks you through verifying your identity with multiple pieces of information (SSN, DOB, address, etc.) and then lets you create a completely new PIN. It took about 10-15 minutes but was way better than trying to get through on the phone. Just make sure you have all your personal info handy when you start the process.

I went through this exact same situation a couple weeks ago! One thing that helped me was making sure I was using the right browser - some people have issues with the my.ny.gov site on certain browsers. I had to switch from Chrome to Firefox to get the reset process to work properly. Also, if you're still getting stuck on security questions, try thinking about what answers you might have used back in October when you first set up the account - sometimes we use slightly different versions of the same answer (like "Main St" vs "Main Street"). Clear your browser cache before trying again too, that seemed to help with some of the technical glitches I was having.