One thing to remember is that unemployment insurance is meant to be insurance - you pay premiums (taxes) and sometimes you have claims against the policy. It's the cost of doing business with employees. Focus on good hiring practices and clear documentation rather than worrying too much about one legitimate claim.

As someone who's been through this recently, I can confirm what others are saying about responding to NYS Department of Labor forms promptly. Even though it feels intimidating as a first-time employer dealing with this, the process is pretty straightforward. Just be honest about the circumstances - if it was truly a layoff due to business conditions, that's exactly what unemployment insurance is designed to cover. Your tax rate might increase slightly over time, but it's gradual and based on your overall experience rating, not just one claim. The key is staying on top of any correspondence from NYS Department of Labor and keeping good records of employment decisions going forward.

I'm going through the same thing right now - filed about 2 weeks ago and still waiting. From what I've been reading online, the NYS Department of Labor has been really backed up lately. One thing that helped me was checking if there are any pending issues or documents needed in the portal - sometimes they request additional info but don't notify you clearly. Also try calling early in the morning around 8am when they open, I've heard that's when you have the best chance of getting through. Hang in there, the waiting is definitely the worst part!

I've been through this exact situation! Filed my claim in March and it took almost 4 weeks to get a determination. The key things that helped me: 1) Keep filing your weekly claims no matter what - this is crucial for getting backpay later, 2) Check the "Correspondence" section in your online account daily - sometimes they send requests for info there without email notifications, 3) If you can, try the live chat feature on the NYS DOL website early morning around 8-9am when it's less busy. I know the waiting is stressful but hang in there - once it goes through you'll get all the backpay from your filing date. The system is slow but it does work eventually.

Also make sure you have documentation of any severance pay, vacation payout, or pension distributions you received. The NYS Department of Labor needs to know about any money you got when you left your job because it can affect your benefit start date. This is stuff a lot of people forget about and then wonder why their benefits are delayed.

One thing I learned the hard way - make sure you have your exact dates of employment (start and end dates) written down for each job, not just the months/years. The my.ny.gov system asks for specific dates and if you're off by even a day it can flag your application for review. I had to go back and correct mine which added weeks to my processing time. Also, if you had any union jobs, try to get your union local number handy as they sometimes ask for that too.

Just make sure you report all your circumstances accurately when you file. NYS Department of Labor will want to know about your employment status, when your leave ended, and when you became available for work. Don't try to file while you're still on active PFL - wait until you're genuinely able and available to accept employment.

I went through something very similar when I had my daughter two years ago. The key thing to understand is timing - you absolutely cannot collect unemployment benefits while you're still receiving paid family leave payments, even if you know your job is being eliminated. NYS Department of Labor considers you "not available for work" while on PFL. You have to wait until your family leave period officially ends and you're ready to return to work before filing your UI claim. When you do file, make sure to clearly explain the sequence of events - that you were employed, went on PFL, then became unemployed due to layoffs after your leave period. The department will verify your base period wages separately from any PFL payments you received.

This system is so broken!! I've been waiting 3 months for payments and every time I call they give me a different excuse. First it was ID verification, then job search requirements, now they're saying something about my employer response. Meanwhile I'm behind on everything and they act like it's no big deal.

I'm going through something similar right now - filed for 3 weeks, everything shows processed but no payments. After reading through these comments I'm going to check my inbox more carefully for any verification requests I might have missed. It's so frustrating that the system can show "approved" when there are still backend issues preventing payment. Has anyone found the best time of day to try calling the NYS Department of Labor? I've been trying mornings but maybe there's a better window.