Yeah, the agent said if you don't qualify for a new claim, you should: 1. Apply for SNAP benefits if you haven't already 2. Contact your county's DSS about emergency assistance 3. Check with NY Housing for rent assistance programs 4. Visit your local career center for job placement help She also mentioned they have a program to help with retraining if you want to switch industries. I'm looking into that option now.

I'm in a similar situation - my benefits are ending next week and I'm really stressed about it. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful! I had no idea about the 10x weekly benefit rule or that you could get SNAP while on unemployment. For anyone else who's panicking like I was, it sounds like the key things to do are: 1) Calculate if you earned enough during your benefit year (include ALL W-2 work, even short temp jobs), 2) If you don't qualify for a new claim, apply for SNAP and other assistance programs RIGHT NOW, 3) Use that Claimyr service to actually talk to someone at NYSDOL instead of waiting on hold forever. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is a lifesaver when the official resources are so confusing!

One more thing - if you do quit, file your unemployment claim immediately. Don't wait thinking you need to have everything perfect first. You can submit additional documentation later but there are time limits for filing initial claims.

Just wanted to add that you should also check if your company has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - many retail chains do. If you can show you tried using available resources like EAP counseling or stress management programs before quitting, it strengthens your case that you exhausted all options. Also, keep a daily log of incidents with dates, times, and witnesses present. NYS Department of Labor reviewers really want to see a pattern of problems, not just isolated incidents. The more detailed your documentation, the better your chances.

You can also try using the NY.gov online portal to check your claim status and send messages, though they don't always respond quickly to the messages either. Sometimes you can resolve simple issues without having to call at all.

I feel your pain - I was in the exact same situation last month with my weekly certification stuck in pending status. What finally worked for me was calling the Telecert line at 1-888-581-5812 instead of the main customer service number. This line is specifically for weekly claim certifications and tends to have shorter wait times. When you call, press 1 for English, then 1 again for weekly claim certification, and you'll get connected to someone who can actually see what's causing the delay. I called around 2pm on a Wednesday and only waited about 45 minutes. Make sure you have your PIN and last 4 digits of your SSN ready. Hope this helps!

Try contacting your state assembly person's office! Seriously, this was the ONLY thing that worked for me after weeks of calling NY unemployment with no luck. Their office has special contacts at the DOL and can often push claims through faster. Google your district and give them a call.

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! My EAD expired while I was collecting unemployment and they cut me off for 3 weeks. The good news is you absolutely can get backpay once you show them your renewed permit. Here's what worked for me: 1. Upload your new work permit to your online account ASAP 2. Call the unemployment line - yes it's a nightmare but you HAVE to speak to someone. The automated system won't fix this 3. When you get through (and you will eventually), ask specifically for a "tier 2" agent who can handle work authorization issues 4. Have your old permit, new permit, and USCIS receipt ready It took me about a week to get through to the right person, but once I did they processed everything in one call and I had my backpay within 3 business days. Don't let them tell you that you're not eligible for those weeks - as long as you had a pending renewal application, you should get paid for that time period. Stay persistent! The system is frustrating but it does work eventually.

This is really helpful information! I've been stressing about this for weeks thinking I was missing some important submission deadline. So just to confirm - I keep my detailed records of job applications, interviews, networking events, etc., but I only need to provide them to NYS DOL if they specifically request them during an audit or claim review? And the requirement is still 3 qualifying work search activities per week, correct? I want to make sure I'm doing everything right to avoid any issues with my benefits.

I went through this same confusion when I first started collecting benefits! The documentation requirements can be really overwhelming at first. One tip I learned the hard way - make sure you're keeping track of the specific METHOD you used for each job search activity (like "applied through company website" vs "submitted resume via Indeed" vs "attended job fair"). If you do get audited, they want those details. Also, networking events and job fairs definitely count as qualifying activities, so don't overlook those opportunities. I keep a simple notebook where I jot down everything right after I do it - that way I don't forget the details later.