good luck with your claim! nonprofit work is so important and its ridiculous that anyone would think those workers dont deserve the same benefits

I can confirm this from personal experience! I worked at a nonprofit health clinic for 4 years and when they had budget cuts, I was able to collect unemployment without any issues. The NYS Department of Labor treated it exactly like any other employer. The key thing is that nonprofits with 4+ employees are required to pay unemployment taxes just like for-profit businesses. Your food bank definitely would have been paying into the system. Don't let anyone discourage you from filing - you earned those benefits!

To clarify the main points: You can travel while collecting unemployment as long as you remain able and available for work. For a short trip like a wedding, you don't need to notify NYS Department of Labor. Just be honest on your weekly certification about your availability. If you're only gone for 2-3 days and could have accepted work if offered, you should be fine to certify normally for that week.

I just wanted to add that I've been dealing with this same situation - I'm on unemployment and had to travel for a funeral last month. What I learned is that the key question on your weekly certification is whether you were "able and available for work" each day. If you're only gone for a weekend wedding and would have been able to accept a job offer if one came up, you can still answer "yes" to that question. The NYS Department of Labor cares more about your willingness and ability to work than your exact geographic location for short trips. Just don't try to claim benefits for days when you genuinely weren't available. Have a great time at your sister's wedding!

I actually just helped my roommate through this exact situation last month! She was a senior working part-time at a retail store and got her hours cut to basically nothing. She was super worried about the student thing too, but she got approved without any major issues. The biggest thing that helped her was keeping really detailed records of her work schedule alongside her class schedule for the past year - it showed she'd been successfully managing both for a long time. She also made sure to apply online first thing in the morning when the system was less busy, then followed up with the phone interview. The whole process took about 3.5 weeks from application to first payment. One tip she shared was to be really specific about your availability in hours (like "Monday 8am-6pm, Wednesday 12pm-10pm" etc.) rather than just saying "I can work around classes." NYS Department of Labor wants to see concrete proof that you have substantial time available for employment. Since you've been doing 25 hours/week for two years, you're in great shape! Don't stress too much about it.

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who successfully collected unemployment as a student in NY! I was working at a bookstore while finishing my degree and lost my job due to store closure. The application process was actually pretty straightforward once I understood what they were looking for. The key things that helped me: 1) I emphasized my consistent work history while enrolled (similar to your situation with 2 years of steady employment), 2) I provided specific available hours rather than vague statements about flexibility, and 3) I kept detailed records of my job search efforts focused on positions that matched my schedule and experience. NYS Department of Labor did ask about my class schedule during the phone interview, but they were mainly interested in confirming I had genuine availability for work. Since you're graduating soon and have been successfully balancing 25 hours/week with coursework, you should have no problem demonstrating both your work history and availability. The process took about 4 weeks for me, but it was worth it for the financial support during my final semester. Don't let the student status worry you - you've earned these benefits through your contributions!

This thread has been incredibly helpful - thank you everyone for sharing your real experiences! I've been on unemployment for about 7 weeks after getting laid off from my warehouse job, and honestly I was one of those people who thought the weekly certifications were mostly just a formality. Reading about @Aisha Mohammed's 6-hour documentation scramble and @Camila Castillo getting audited for 8 random weeks has been a serious wake-up call. I've been doing legitimate job searches - applying to warehouse, logistics, and retail positions mostly - but my record keeping has been terrible. Maybe saving a screenshot here and there, keeping some confirmation emails, but nothing systematic. The stories about people owing back $7-8k in benefits are absolutely terrifying, especially when money is already tight. I'm definitely starting a proper tracking system this weekend - going to set up a Google Sheet with columns for date, company, position, application method, confirmation received, and notes. Plus organizing all screenshots in weekly folders like several people suggested. It's crazy that they can audit you up to a year later too! Better to spend a few extra minutes each week documenting everything than potentially get hit with a massive overpayment notice. Thanks again everyone for the reality check - this is exactly the kind of practical info they should tell you upfront but never do.

I'm new here and this thread has been absolutely eye-opening! I just started collecting NY unemployment about 2 weeks ago after getting laid off from my customer service job, and honestly I had no idea audits were even a thing. I've been doing my job searches legitimately - applying through Indeed, company websites, reaching out to former coworkers - but I haven't been keeping any records at all. Just figured as long as I was actually applying to jobs, I was good to go. Reading about @Aisha Mohammed's 6-hour documentation nightmare and people owing back $7-8k is honestly terrifying. I'm definitely one of those people who would be completely screwed if I got audited right now because I have zero proof of anything I've applied to. Starting TODAY I'm going to create a tracking system - going to use a Google Sheet like others suggested with columns for date, company, position, method, and confirmation. Also going to start screenshotting everything and organizing by week. Better late than never, right? Thanks everyone for sharing your real experiences - this is exactly the kind of info they should tell you when you first apply but somehow never mention. You've probably saved me from a potential disaster down the road!

I'm at about 2 weeks into my unemployment claim and honestly this thread is a goldmine of information! I had no idea the work search audits were this thorough or that they could happen as early as 2-3 months in. I've been doing job applications but barely keeping track beyond just remembering where I applied. After reading everyone's experiences, I'm definitely going to set up a proper spreadsheet system this weekend with all the details you've mentioned - dates, companies, positions, activity types, contact methods, etc. It's actually kind of motivating to see that if you keep good records and do genuine job search activities, the audit process seems manageable rather than scary. I appreciate everyone being so detailed about their experiences - this is way more helpful than the vague official guidance on the DOL website. Better to start strong with documentation from the beginning than scramble later!

I'm about 7 weeks into my unemployment claim and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I started off pretty casual with my job search documentation - just keeping a simple list in a notebook - but reading everyone's detailed experiences has made me realize I need to completely overhaul my system. The fact that audits can happen as early as 8-16 weeks means I'm potentially entering the higher-risk zone soon. I'm going to spend this weekend creating a comprehensive spreadsheet with all the columns you've mentioned: date, company, position, activity type, contact method, and notes. It's actually reassuring to see that people who keep good records and show genuine job search effort seem to handle the audit process just fine. I've been doing mostly online applications but clearly need to diversify with networking calls, job fairs, and professional development activities. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world guidance that the official DOL information doesn't provide. Better to get organized now than panic if I get selected for an audit!