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If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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My sister got unemployment when her company relocated to another state and she couldn't move with them. That counted as a layoff even though technically they offered her the job in the new location. So relocation can be another reason if it's unreasonable for you to follow the job.
For seasonal workers and temp employees, you can typically qualify for unemployment benefits between assignments or seasons as long as you meet the wage and work history requirements. The key is that you need to be available and actively seeking work. For seasonal workers, NYS DOL recognizes that your work is inherently temporary, so you're not penalized for the cyclical nature of your employment. Temp workers can collect benefits between assignments if there's no reasonable expectation of returning to work with the temp agency soon. Just make sure to register with the temp agency as available for new assignments to show you're actively seeking work.
This is really helpful info about seasonal and temp work! I didn't realize you could get benefits between temp assignments. Do you know if there's a waiting period between when one temp job ends and when you can start collecting? Also, what if the temp agency says they have work available but it's like way below your usual pay rate or in a completely different field - are you required to take it or can you refuse and still keep benefits?
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I'm in almost the exact same boat - just got let go last Friday and have a severance payment coming next month. Reading through all these responses is super helpful! I was definitely overthinking whether I should wait to file or not. Quick question for those who've been through this - when you upload your severance documentation, do they want just the termination letter or the full severance agreement too? My HR gave me like 15 pages of legal documents and I'm not sure what exactly unemployment needs to see. Also @NebulaNomad - solidarity on the phone system nightmare! I've been trying to get through for 3 days now and it's maddening. Might have to try that 8am strategy people keep mentioning. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - makes this whole process feel way less overwhelming knowing others have navigated it successfully! 🙏
Hey @Lena Müller! From my experience, they typically want both the termination letter AND the severance agreement - basically anything that shows the amount, payment schedule, and what period it's meant to cover. Better to upload too much documentation than not enough! The system will sort through what they actually need. And yes, definitely try the 8am calling strategy - it really does make a difference even though it's still not guaranteed. Hang in there! 💪
I went through this exact situation last year! File your claim immediately - don't wait until your severance period ends. The NY system takes forever to process claims, so you want to get in the queue ASAP. Since you're getting a lump sum payment rather than ongoing salary payments, it should only count as income for the week you actually receive it (November 20th). However, you'll need to be completely transparent about it when filing - they'll ask for documentation so have your severance letter ready. What will likely happen is: - You file now and get initially denied due to the severance - You keep certifying weekly anyway - Once they determine your severance period structure, benefits start flowing automatically For the phone situation - I feel your pain! The trick that worked for me was calling at exactly 8:00 AM on weekdays, preferably Wednesday or Thursday. Still took multiple attempts but way better odds than calling later in the day. Also keep in mind you'll need to do 3 job search activities per week once you start certifying, so start keeping track of applications, networking, etc. now. Don't let the broken phone system discourage you from filing online - get that claim started today! The sooner you're in the system, the sooner you can start receiving benefits once your severance period is sorted out. Good luck! 🍀
This is such comprehensive advice, thank you @Oliver Weber! I'm feeling much more confident about moving forward now. Just to clarify - when you say "keep certifying weekly" even if initially denied, do you mean I should continue doing the weekly certification process online even before I'm approved? I want to make sure I don't mess anything up by doing the wrong steps at the wrong time. Also really appreciate the specific timing tip about Wednesday/Thursday at 8am - I've been calling randomly throughout the day which clearly isn't working! 😅
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after dealing with this nightmare for 5 MONTHS I finally got it resolved by contacting my state senator's office. they have direct contacts at DOL that can fix things like this. don't waste your time with the regular customer service channels - they're useless. go straight to your elected officials!
5 MONTHS?? Omg that's insane. I'm definitely going to try the elected official route before I end up in the same boat.
I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now! Moved in December and still haven't gotten my card to the new address. Reading through all these suggestions is super helpful. I'm going to try the dual address update thing first (didn't know about the payment method section), and if that doesn't work I'll contact my assembly person's office. It's ridiculous that we have to jump through so many hoops just to access our own benefits. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least now I know I'm not alone in this nightmare!
You're definitely not alone! I went through this exact same thing when I moved last fall. The dual address update tip from Diego is gold - I wish I had known about that earlier. Also, don't give up on calling DOL even though it seems impossible. I found that calling right at 8am on Wednesdays gave me the best shot at getting through. And honestly, if you can afford it, those callback services like Claimyr that people mentioned here might be worth it to save your sanity. The whole system is broken but these workarounds do help. Keep us posted on what ends up working for you!
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Had similar issues reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor about certification questions. Kept getting busy signals and when I did get through, got disconnected twice. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Ended up getting my questions answered about able and available requirements and work search documentation.
Never heard of that service before. Did they charge you? I'm getting frustrated trying to reach anyone by phone.
It was worth it to actually talk to someone who could explain the certification requirements clearly. Much better than guessing and potentially messing up my claim.
BE VERY CAREFUL with those certification questions!!! I answered one wrong about being available and they flagged my entire claim for review. Took 6 weeks to sort out and I almost lost benefits. The system is designed to trip you up I swear.
What specifically did you answer wrong? This is making me nervous about my own certifications.
AstroAce
The NYS Department of Labor system is such a nightmare to navigate. I swear they make it confusing on purpose. At least staying in state should be straightforward - it's when you cross state lines that everything becomes a bureaucratic mess.
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Mohammed Khan
Just wanted to add that when you update your address, also make sure to check if there are any local American Job Centers or career services in Syracuse that you should register with. Sometimes they have additional resources or job fairs that could help with your search requirements. The transition should be smooth since you're staying in NY, but taking advantage of local resources in your new city could actually help you find work faster and get off unemployment sooner.
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Freya Andersen
•That's really good advice about the American Job Centers! I didn't even think about that. Does anyone know if Syracuse has better job resources than Albany? I'm hoping the move might actually open up more opportunities since it's a bigger city.
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