This is such a basic question but the NYS Department of Labor makes everything so confusing! Why can't they just say 'most recent job title' instead of 'main occupation'?? The whole system is designed to trip people up I swear.

Just went through this same process last month! Definitely use "retail supervisor" since that was your most recent position. The NYS Department of Labor uses this mainly to categorize your claim and for their records. Your food service experience will still be valuable and you can include all of that work history in the employment section. The key is being consistent throughout your application - whatever you put as your main occupation should match what you list as your last job. Good luck with your claim!

Good luck with everything! The transition from workers comp back to job searching can be stressful but at least you have the settlement to help while you look for work.

I went through something similar about 6 months ago with a knee injury workers comp case. The most important thing is having that medical clearance documentation ready - NYS Department of Labor will definitely want to see that you're physically able to work. Also, when you file online, there's a specific section about workers comp benefits where you'll need to be upfront about the settlement. They mainly care about whether any part of the settlement covers future wage loss (which it sounds like yours doesn't). The whole process took about 3 weeks for me to get approved. Make sure you start your work search activities right away since they'll ask for proof of job hunting efforts. Best of luck!

I went through something similar about 6 months ago! The key thing is that you were ready and willing to work those two weeks, but your employer chose to end it early. That makes it their decision, not yours. When I filed, I explained it exactly like that - gave notice with intention to work through it, but was told to leave immediately. Got approved without any issues. Just be clear about the timeline when you file and you should be fine. Good luck!

This exact situation happened to me about a year ago and I was so stressed about it! But don't worry - you're definitely eligible for benefits. NYS Department of Labor sees this as a discharge since you were willing to work but they chose to terminate you early. When I filed, I made sure to clearly state that I provided two weeks notice with the intention to work through it, but was told to leave immediately. The claim was approved without any problems. Just stick to the facts about the timeline and you'll be fine. The important thing is you were ready and willing to continue working those final two weeks.

I'm also new to filing unemployment in NY and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I was wondering - does anyone know if there are any other recent changes to the unemployment system I should be aware of? I just started my claim this month and want to make sure I'm not missing anything important. The hours reporting change makes sense now, but are there other policy updates from 2024 or 2025 that might affect how I file my weekly certifications?

I'm also dealing with this same confusion! Started filing in February and nobody told me about any of these changes. I worked 9 hours last week and was stressed about whether to report 0 or 1 day. Reading through all these comments is such a relief - sounds like 9 hours = 0 days under the new system. It's crazy how they just change things without proper notification. I've been keeping detailed records of my hours just in case, which seems like a good idea based on what people are saying here. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

Update: Did you ever get through? I've found that using the Contact Us form on the NY.gov unemployment website sometimes works better than calling. Select "I need to speak to a representative about my claim" from the dropdown. They're supposed to call back within 2-3 business days. Not ideal but better than endless busy signals.

I feel your pain - the NY unemployment system is absolutely broken. I went through the same nightmare for over a month trying to get my claim straightened out. What finally worked for me was a combination approach: I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned (totally worth it even though I was skeptical at first) AND I also reached out to my state assemblyperson's office. They have a constituent services department that can actually get NYSDOL to respond faster. Just Google "[your area] state assembly" and call their office - they deal with unemployment issues all the time. Don't give up, you're entitled to your benefits and there ARE ways to get through, even though the system makes it ridiculously hard.