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I just wanted to add another success story to help reassure you! I was in almost exactly the same situation about 4 months ago - my UI ran out, I worked part-time for about 7 months at a local business, then got laid off when they had to reduce staff. I filed a new claim online and it was approved within a week with no complications at all. The whole process took maybe 20 minutes and I had my first payment about 10 days later. What really surprised me was that my weekly benefit amount was actually slightly higher than my first claim because they included wages from both my original full-time job and the part-time work in the calculation. The most important thing is just making sure you file as a "new initial claim" rather than trying to reopen your old one. Don't overthink it - since you worked between claims, you're definitely eligible! The NYS system really does make it straightforward for people in your situation.
This is so encouraging to hear! I was getting worried that filing a second claim might be more complicated or that there could be delays, but hearing that you were approved within a week and got your first payment in 10 days is really reassuring. The fact that your benefit amount was actually higher because of the combined wages from both jobs is amazing - I hadn't realized the system worked that way. I definitely want to make sure I select "new initial claim" when I file since multiple people have mentioned that's important. Thanks for sharing such a positive and recent experience - it's giving me the confidence to go ahead and file this week!
I'm currently in the exact same situation - my benefits ended about 6 months ago and I've been working part-time at a retail store since then, but they just cut my hours to almost nothing so I need to file again. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful! It's such a relief to see so many people confirm that you can file immediately without any waiting period between claims. I was really anxious about whether working part-time would somehow complicate things, but it sounds like having those earnings actually helps establish eligibility for a new claim. The tip about making sure to select "file a new claim" instead of "reopen existing claim" is really important - I definitely would have been confused about that. Planning to gather all my pay stubs this weekend and file online early next week. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread is going to save me so much worry and confusion!
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I'm new to unemployment claims and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I had no idea the job search documentation could be this intensive. I've only been claiming for 2 weeks and honestly, my record-keeping has been pretty casual - just jotting down company names and dates in a notebook. After reading everyone's experiences, especially the audit stories, I'm realizing I need to step up my game immediately. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good format or app to track all these details? I'm thinking a spreadsheet might be the way to go, but I'm wondering if there are templates specifically designed for NYS unemployment job search tracking. Also, for those who've been through audits - is it better to over-document rather than under-document? Like, should I be saving screenshots of every single application confirmation page, even if it seems excessive?
@Fatima Al-Mazrouei I m'also pretty new to this about (3 weeks in and) had the exact same realization reading through this thread! I was doing the bare minimum with just basic notes too. From what everyone s'sharing, it definitely sounds like over-documenting is way better than under-documenting. I just started a Google Sheets spreadsheet with columns for: Date, Company Name, Job Title, Contact Person/HR Email, Application Method, Job Posting URL/ID, and Follow-up Actions. For screenshots, I figure it s'better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them - storage is cheap but getting disqualified from benefits would be devastating. The audit stories are honestly terrifying but also motivating me to get my act together now rather than scrambling later if I get selected for review.
I've been claiming for about 3 weeks now and this thread is a real wake-up call! I started out just keeping basic notes but after reading about all these audit experiences, I'm definitely going to upgrade my documentation system. One thing I'm curious about - for those who have been through this process longer, do you track job searches that didn't pan out due to technical issues? Like if a company's application system crashes halfway through or if you discover a job posting was already filled but still listed as open? I've had a couple situations like that where I spent time on applications that never actually got submitted, and I'm wondering if those count toward the 3 weekly activities or if only successfully submitted applications matter. Also, does anyone know if there's a statute of limitations on how far back they can audit your job search records?
@Chloe Harris Great question about the technical issues! From what I understand, if you can document that you attempted to apply like (noting the company name, position, date, and what happened with the system crash ,)that should still count as a job search activity. The key is showing you made a genuine effort. I d'recommend keeping a note about what went wrong - attempted "application via company website, system error prevented submission or" something like that. As for the statute of limitations, I believe they can audit your entire claim period, so if you re'on unemployment for 6 months, they could potentially ask for records going back to week 1. That s'why it s'so important to start documenting properly right away rather than trying to catch up later!
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This is such valuable information - I wish I had known this when my claim ended! I'm currently dealing with a similar paperwork situation and was planning to just keep everything for one year. After reading everyone's experiences, especially about people being contacted 2+ years later, I'm definitely going to keep everything for at least 4 years now. The digital scanning approach that several people mentioned sounds perfect. Has anyone had experience with NYS Department of Labor accepting scanned/digital copies of documents if they request something, or do they specifically need original paperwork? I'd hate to scan everything only to find out they require physical documents during an investigation.
That's a great question about digital vs. physical documents! From what I understand, NYS Department of Labor generally accepts digital copies as long as they're clear and legible. When I had to submit documentation for an issue last year, they accepted my scanned PDFs without any problems. The key is making sure the scans are high quality - you want to be able to read every word clearly. I'd recommend keeping the originals for at least the first year after scanning, just in case, then you can probably safely dispose of the physical copies. But definitely scan at a high resolution to be safe!
I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! My benefits ended about 6 months ago and I have boxes of paperwork taking over my closet. Reading through all these responses has been super helpful - I had no idea they could potentially contact you years later about old claims. The 4-6 year recommendation seems to be the consensus here, which is way longer than I was planning to keep everything. I'm definitely going to go with the digital scanning approach that several people mentioned. It makes so much sense to have everything searchable and backed up in the cloud rather than dealing with physical storage. Thanks for asking this question - I've been wondering the same thing but kept putting off dealing with it!
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I'm going through this exact same issue right now and honestly, this thread has been a godsend! 🙏 I've been stuck on this maiden name problem for over a week and was starting to think there was something wrong with me. Reading everyone's detective strategies has given me so much hope! I wanted to add one more angle that might help others: if your mom ever used a professional or stage name, or if she went by a completely different name socially vs. legally, you might have used that version. My mom was a teacher and always went by "Ms. Roberts" professionally even though her legal maiden name was "Robertson" - I'm wondering if I might have used the shortened version when I signed up years ago. Also, for anyone feeling overwhelmed by all these variations to try - I'm creating a simple checklist format: original spelling, ALL CAPS, Title Case, with/without hyphens, with/without spaces, with middle initial, with birth year, nickname versions, and any professional/social name variations. Going to work through them systematically! It's absolutely wild that we need a PhD in our own family history just to update banking info, but this community support is amazing. I'll definitely report back when I crack my personal security code mystery! Thanks everyone for making me feel less crazy about this bureaucratic nightmare! 💪
This is such a great addition to all the strategies! The professional/stage name angle is brilliant - I never would have thought of that! 🤯 My mom was also a teacher and I'm realizing she might have used different versions of her name in different contexts throughout her life. That's definitely going on my list to try! I love your systematic checklist approach too - it's so much less overwhelming when you break it down like that instead of just randomly guessing. I'm stealing your format and adding a few more: alternate spellings from immigration documents (if applicable), any hyphenated combinations, and even checking if I might have used her confirmation name or middle name instead. It's honestly ridiculous that we've basically had to create a whole community research project just to access our own benefits, but I'm so grateful for threads like this! Reading everyone's success stories and strategies is keeping me motivated to keep trying instead of just giving up. We're all going to crack these codes eventually! Thanks for sharing the teacher name example - that's exactly the kind of real-world detail that could be the key for so many of us! 🔍✨
Wow, reading through all these responses is so reassuring - I thought I was the only one dealing with this nightmare! 😅 I've been stuck on this maiden name issue for about 10 days now and was starting to feel like I was going crazy. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet that might help: check if you might have used your mom's confirmation name or religious name instead of her legal maiden name. My mom is Catholic and I just realized I might have used her confirmation name "Marie" instead of her actual maiden name when I was quickly filling out forms. Also, if your parents were divorced and your mom went back to using her maiden name, you might have accidentally entered her married name from when you were growing up instead of her original maiden name. I know that sounds confusing but family name history can be surprisingly complicated! I'm definitely going to try the systematic approach everyone's talking about - making a list of every possible variation including all the brilliant suggestions here (hyphens, capitalization, middle initials, birth years, professional names, etc.) and working through them methodically. This community is amazing for coming together to solve this bureaucratic puzzle! I'll report back if I crack my personal code. Thanks everyone for making me feel less alone in this struggle! 🙏
ApolloJackson
I've been struggling with this exact same issue for the past week and this thread is a goldmine of practical solutions! I tried the online upload multiple times with no success, but reading through everyone's experiences, I realize I was making several mistakes - using my work computer with security restrictions, trying during peak hours, and using poorly named files. I'm going to follow the systematic approach that's emerged from everyone's advice: wake up early (around 6-7am), use Chrome on my personal laptop with cleared cache, convert everything to properly named PDFs under 5MB, and upload one document at a time. If that fails, I'll head straight to the secure message center under "My Messages" as a backup. It's honestly ridiculous that we need to figure out all these workarounds for basic government services, but I'm so grateful for this community sharing real solutions that actually work. Will definitely report back once I try the early morning approach - fingers crossed!
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
•This thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm also completely new to dealing with unemployment and was getting so frustrated with the upload failures. It's really encouraging to see so many people who've successfully worked through the same issues. I'm definitely going to try the early morning approach too - the fact that multiple people have mentioned 6-7am as the sweet spot makes it seem like that's the real key. I love how everyone has been so specific about what worked rather than just giving vague advice. Planning to set my alarm for 6:30am this Saturday and follow the exact checklist that's evolved from all these comments: Chrome browser, personal computer, cleared cache, PDFs under 5MB with clear names, and one document at a time. Having the secure message center as backup is reassuring too. Thanks to everyone for turning what seemed like an impossible task into something actually manageable!
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CosmosCaptain
I've been dealing with this same nightmare for almost three weeks now! Reading through this thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that timing could make such a huge difference. I've been trying to upload during my lunch break around noon, which is probably the worst possible time based on what everyone's saying about server load. I'm definitely going to try the early morning approach (around 6:30am) this weekend using Chrome with cleared cache and properly named PDFs under 5MB. It's so frustrating that we have to become tech troubleshooting experts just to submit basic documents to a government agency, but I'm grateful this community exists to share real solutions. The secure message center backup option gives me peace of mind too - at least there are multiple ways to get this done. Thank you everyone for being so detailed about what actually worked instead of just saying "keep trying" like the official help resources do!
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Mia Green
•I'm right there with you on the three-week struggle! It's such a relief to find this thread and realize we're not alone in dealing with these upload issues. The timing revelation has been eye-opening - I never would have connected server load to upload success, but it makes perfect sense when you think about how many people are probably trying to use the system during business hours. Your 6:30am weekend plan sounds solid, and I love that you're being strategic about it rather than just randomly trying again and again like I was doing. The fact that so many people have had success with this early morning + Chrome + proper file prep approach gives me real hope that there's actually a reliable solution here. Good luck with your weekend attempt - I'm planning to try the same approach and hopefully we'll both have success stories to add to this thread soon!
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