also if you have any kind of severance pay or vacation payout that might delay when you can start collecting. learned that the hard way

One thing I'd add is that if you're collecting any kind of pension or retirement benefits, that can also affect your unemployment eligibility or reduce your weekly benefit amount. NYS Department of Labor will offset your UI benefits if you're getting a pension from a base period employer. Also, if you're self-employed or doing gig work while collecting, you need to report ALL earnings - even small amounts can trigger overpayment issues if not reported properly. The key is being completely transparent about your work situation when you file.

The whole system is ridiculous honestly. I worked for 8 months straight and still had issues with my claim because my previous employer reported my wages wrong. NYS Department of Labor makes everything so unnecessarily complicated with all these quarter calculations and base periods. Why can't they just say 'work X months, get benefits' like normal people would understand??

Tell your cousin to check her pay stubs and add up her quarterly earnings. That's the easiest way to know for sure. The NYS Department of Labor base period thing makes more sense when you actually calculate it out with real numbers.

One option to consider is getting a co-signer with stable income if that's possible for you. The lender would primarily evaluate the co-signer's income and credit, which could overcome the unemployment issue. Just make sure you understand the legal implications for both parties before going that route.

Another thing to consider is that some lenders might accept unemployment benefits if you can show additional assets or income streams. Since you mentioned having enough saved for a down payment, you might want to look into asset-based lending programs. These focus more on your liquid assets and down payment percentage rather than just monthly income. Also, if you do end up getting a job offer during the mortgage process, make sure to keep your NYS Department of Labor case worker informed about your employment status changes - it could actually strengthen your application if you can show you're transitioning back to stable employment.

Thanks everyone. Sounds like I should file the initial claim but expect complications during the treatment period. At least if I get approved initially, maybe I can resume benefits after completing the program when I'm actively job searching again.

I went through something similar last year. The key is how your employer coded the termination - since they said "attendance issues" rather than misconduct related to substance abuse, you have a better shot at getting approved initially. I was able to collect benefits before entering treatment, but had to stop filing while in the 30-day program since I couldn't meet the job search requirements. Once I completed treatment and was actively looking for work again, I resumed my claim without issues. The NYS Department of Labor was actually pretty understanding about the gap once I explained it was for medical treatment. Make sure to keep all your treatment documentation - it helped when I had to explain the interruption in my claim.

Check your spam folder, sometimes they email a link to access 1099G directly

Had the exact same problem last week! What worked for me was clearing my browser cache and cookies completely, then using a different browser (tried Chrome after Firefox kept blocking me). Also make sure you're going directly to labor.ny.gov and not clicking any Google search results - sometimes those redirect links cause issues. If you're still getting locked out, try using your phone's mobile browser instead of desktop. Good luck!