ugh this whole system is such a nightmare!! why does everything with unemployment have to be so complicated?? i just want to reopen my claim and get back to filing weekly like before but nooo they have to make it impossible 😤

I went through this exact same situation a few months ago! When you're trying to reopen online and it's asking for a new application, that usually means your benefit year expired. If it's been more than a year since you first filed, you'll need to start fresh with a new claim. But if it's only been since October, you should definitely be able to reopen the existing one. Try clearing your browser cache and cookies for the my.ny.gov site first - sometimes that fixes the glitch. If that doesn't work, you really do need to call. The best time I found to get through was right when they open at 8am or around lunchtime when call volume drops a bit. Good luck!

Yeah definitely report it all. I learned this the hard way when I was doing Instacart last year while on benefits.

I'm in a similar situation and have been researching this extensively. From what I've found, NYS Department of Labor has access to various databases that can flag unreported income, especially from major platforms like Uber Eats. They receive quarterly wage reports and can cross-reference 1099s issued by gig companies. Even if you think you're flying under the radar, it's not worth the risk. I'd recommend calling them directly to ask about the partial benefit calculation for your specific weekly benefit amount - that way you know exactly how much you can earn before it starts reducing your UI payments. Better to be upfront and keep some benefits than lose everything later.

wait so does this mean if I quit my job I can't get unemployment?? because my employer didn't lay me off they would fight it right??

Just to clarify something important - while your employer can't directly control your payments, they CAN contest your claim if they believe you weren't eligible (like if they think you were fired for misconduct). But even if they contest it, the final decision is always made by the NYS Department of Labor after they review all the evidence. So don't worry about your bad relationship with your manager affecting your benefits - as long as you were legitimately laid off or fired without misconduct, you should be fine. The system has protections in place to prevent employers from arbitrarily cutting people off.

Once you get logged in properly, you should also be able to see your payment history and when your next weekly claim is due. The system updates pretty regularly so you can track any changes to your status.

Just want to add that when you do get into my.ny.gov successfully, don't panic if your status shows "pending" for the first week or two - that's totally normal! The DOL has to verify your employment history and eligibility before they can approve your claim. I was worried when mine stayed pending for almost 2 weeks but it eventually went through. Also make sure to keep filing your weekly certifications even while it's pending, otherwise you could miss out on back pay once it gets approved.

Just wanted to add that if your claim does go into adjudication for any reason, that can add several more weeks to the process. But for a straightforward layoff like yours, you should be fine. The key is to keep filing those weekly certifications and be patient.

I'm in a similar situation - filed my claim about 8 days ago after being laid off from my office job and still waiting. The uncertainty is really stressful when you're already dealing with losing your job. From what everyone's saying here, it sounds like 2-3 weeks is pretty normal, so I guess we just have to hang in there. Thanks for asking this question because I was wondering the same thing!