This reminds me of when I got laid off from my restaurant job last year. Different situation but I was also worried about whether I'd qualify. The NYS Department of Labor process was actually pretty straightforward once I got started. Just make sure you file your weekly claims on time every week no matter what!

I went through something similar about a year ago when I got fired after reporting unsafe working conditions at a warehouse. Filed for unemployment right away and got approved even though my employer tried to contest it. The key is having your documentation ready - those emails you sent about the safety issues will be crucial. NYS Department of Labor definitely protects workers who report legitimate safety concerns. Don't let them intimidate you into thinking you don't deserve benefits. You were doing the right thing by speaking up about dangerous conditions.

Just apply anyway! The worst they can say is no and then you appeal. I've seen people get approved even when their employer claimed misconduct. NYS Department of Labor has to investigate both sides of the story and employers don't always have good documentation to back up their claims.

As someone who works in HR, I can tell you that NYS Department of Labor typically requires misconduct to be more than just attendance issues, especially when there are legitimate reasons like childcare. The fact that you always called in shows good faith effort. Misconduct usually needs to be willful and substantial - things like insubordination, theft, or violating safety rules after clear warnings. Your situation sounds more like a performance/attendance issue rather than true misconduct. Definitely file your claim right away and document everything about your childcare situation and any communications with your employer.

wait so every time someone gets unemployment the employer has to pay more?? i thought it was just government money

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - my employer is contesting my claim even though they told me the layoff was due to "restructuring." It's so frustrating because I'm running low on money and can't get anyone at NYS DOL on the phone. From what I've learned, employers contest claims to keep their unemployment insurance rates low, but it feels like they're just making life harder for people who are already struggling. Has anyone had luck getting through to an actual person at the Department of Labor recently?

same boat here, got let go 3 weeks ago for not hitting sales targets and my claim got approved pretty quick. just be honest about everything

Hey Sayid, I went through something similar about 6 months ago. Got terminated for performance issues after struggling to keep up with the workload at my job. I was really worried about getting denied, but I ended up getting approved for benefits. The key thing is that performance issues usually aren't considered "misconduct" unless you were deliberately not doing your job or violating company rules. Since you mentioned it's about deadlines and quotas, that sounds like a performance issue rather than misconduct. Just make sure to file your claim right away if it happens - you can always appeal if they initially deny you. The whole process was less scary than I thought it would be.

processing can also mean they're waiting for some document you forgot to submit... check if theres any messages in your account asking for additional info

I'm going through the same thing right now - filed about 8 days ago and still showing processing status. From what I've read, NYS Department of Labor is really backed up lately so the processing times have been longer than usual. I've been checking my account daily but trying not to stress about it too much since everyone seems to say it's normal. Just make sure you keep doing your weekly certifications like others mentioned because those weeks count once you get approved!