wait does anyone know if they count days you wer supposed to work but called out sick? my schedule said 5 days but i only worked 3 and called out 2 days last week

Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I'm going to talk to my manager about possibly condensing my schedule to 3 days when possible. And I'll definitely keep certifying every week even when I work 4 days. I appreciate all the advice!

The NYS Department of Labor system is just broken. I've been waiting 3 weeks for someone to even LOOK at my claim and there's no way to get real information about what's causing the delay. They tell you to check online but the website never has actual details about WHY something is taking so long.

Don't panic yet - 10 days isn't that unusual, especially if you filed recently. The initial processing can take 2-3 weeks. Just keep checking your my.ny.gov account every few days and make sure you're filing your weekly claims even while it's processing. That's really important or you could lose benefits for those weeks.

ugh the whole system is still a mess from covid honestly. they act like everything is back to normal but clearly its not if people are still waiting weeks for simple claim reviews

I was actually working for the state during that period and can confirm those numbers - April 2020 was absolutely chaotic. We went from processing maybe 50,000 claims per week to over 300,000 in a single week. The system literally couldn't handle it and we had to bring in temporary staff and work around the clock just to keep things from completely falling apart. A lot of the verification steps that are causing delays now were implemented because we had massive fraud issues during the emergency period when we had to fast-track everything.

Just remember you have to meet the work requirements each time - I think it's something like 2 quarters of work with minimum earnings. Don't quote me on the exact numbers though.

You're absolutely right to question your friend's advice! There's definitely no "once per year" limit on filing unemployment claims with NYS DOL. The main requirements are having enough qualifying wages and work history in your base period for each new claim. Since you worked between your unemployment periods, you should be eligible to file again. Just make sure to gather all your employment documentation from your most recent job before you apply. The process can be tedious but you have every right to file multiple claims if you meet the eligibility requirements each time.

To answer your original question more completely - after you apply, expect to receive several pieces of mail from NYS Department of Labor. First will be your monetary determination showing your benefit amount, then instructions for filing weekly claims, and possibly requests for additional documentation depending on your situation. The key is to respond to everything promptly and keep filing those weekly claims even if your first payment is delayed. Most people get their first payment within 2-3 weeks if there are no complications with their claim.

Just went through this process myself a few months ago and wanted to add a couple things that helped me. First, create your NY.gov account BEFORE you need it - the system can be slow and you don't want to deal with account setup when you're stressed about filing. Second, keep screenshots of everything you submit because the system occasionally glitches and loses information. Also, if you're worried about the job search requirement, LinkedIn Easy Apply jobs count toward your three weekly contacts, which makes it much easier to hit that number. The whole process is definitely overwhelming at first but once you get into the routine of filing weekly claims it becomes pretty straightforward.