The funding structure is actually pretty complex. Most comes from state unemployment taxes (SUTA) paid by employers, but there's also federal funding through FUTA taxes. During recessions or extended benefit periods, additional federal money can flow in. NYS Department of Labor manages the state trust fund but federal Department of Labor oversees the overall system requirements and provides backup funding when state funds run low.

Just to add some numbers to this - in NY, employers typically pay between 0.6% to 9.9% of their first $12,300 in wages per employee annually, depending on their experience rating. New employers start at around 4.1%. So for a company with 50 employees making $50k each, they might pay around $25,000-$30,000 per year into the unemployment fund. It really is a significant business expense that employers have to budget for, which explains why they're so careful about how they handle layoffs and terminations.

Same boat here, been doing the minimum 3 activities but maybe I need to do more? My adjudication officer mentioned something about 'good faith effort' during my phone interview.

From my experience, the most effective combo is direct applications + follow-up calls + visiting local career centers. I was stuck for 3 months just doing online applications, but once I started actually calling employers a few days after applying AND attending the free resume workshops at my local One-Stop Career Center, things picked up fast. The career center staff also helped me identify which job boards actually have real postings vs the fake ones that just collect your info. Also don't overlook LinkedIn networking - sending personalized messages to people in your field counts as a networking activity and sometimes leads to referrals.

I'm also a per diem worker (home health aide) and went through this same confusion! What helped me was keeping a simple log each week - I write down if shifts were offered, if I accepted/declined them, and how many hours I actually worked. This way when I certify, I can just look at my notes instead of trying to remember. For weeks with no available shifts, I report 0 hours worked and that I didn't refuse work since nothing was offered. I also learned to screenshot my scheduling app showing my availability but no assigned shifts - this saved me when DOL asked for documentation once. The main thing is being consistent in how you report and keeping some kind of record. I've been collecting for about 5 months now with no issues using this approach.

I'm a per diem respiratory therapist and I completely understand your anxiety about this! I went through the exact same panic when I first started claiming benefits. What really helped me was realizing that per diem workers are actually pretty common in healthcare, so the DOL system is set up to handle our situation. Here's my simple approach: if I didn't pick up any shifts that week because none were available, I report that I didn't work (0 hours) and didn't refuse work (since no shifts were offered to refuse). I always mark that I was available and able to work because I genuinely was. I've been doing this for about 7 months now and the only time I had any questions from DOL was when I forgot to report some overtime pay correctly - totally my own mistake. The system actually works pretty well for us once you get the hang of it. Just be honest about what actually happened each week and you'll be fine. Don't let the horror stories online psych you out - most of us per diem workers navigate this successfully!

Just because an employer is exempt from FUTA doesn't mean you can't collect unemployment. The key things that matter for NYS Department of Labor eligibility are whether you earned enough wages in covered employment and whether you lost your job through no fault of your own. Check your earnings statement on the my.ny.gov portal to see if your wages were reported.

I think people get confused because there are different types of exemptions. Some employers are exempt from paying federal unemployment tax but still have to pay state unemployment insurance. Others might be exempt from both. The NYS Department of Labor website has a whole section explaining covered vs non-covered employment if you want to dig deeper into it.

I had a similar issue when I filed my claim a few months ago! One thing that worked for me was checking old tax documents - not just W-2s, but also any year-end statements or tax summaries your employer might have given you. The EAN sometimes shows up in unexpected places. Also, if you have any old direct deposit forms or benefits enrollment paperwork from when you started at the restaurant, those might have the number too. I know it's frustrating to hunt through all this paperwork when you're already stressed about being unemployed, but don't let it delay your filing too much. The NYS DOL really can work with just the employer name and address in most cases - I've seen them successfully match employment records even when people were missing information. The most important thing is to get your claim started within the required timeframe, and you can always update or clarify details as you go through the process.

Don't panic about this - I went through the exact same thing when I filed my claim earlier this year! The EAN is definitely one of those mysterious pieces of information that employers don't always make obvious to employees. Here's what worked for me: first, check if you have access to any online employee portals or apps your restaurant might have used - sometimes the EAN shows up in digital pay stubs or tax documents there. If that doesn't work, try calling during off-peak hours (like mid-morning on weekdays) when you're more likely to reach someone at your former workplace. Most importantly though, don't let this delay your filing! You can absolutely start your unemployment claim with just the restaurant's name, address, and your employment dates. The NYS DOL has sophisticated systems to match your work history to the right employer account, and they deal with missing EAN numbers literally every single day. I filed mine without the EAN initially and they sorted it out during processing without any issues. Just make sure to file within your deadline window - that's way more important than having every single piece of paperwork perfect from the start.