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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.
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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!
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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.
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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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Pro tip: if you're in NYC, reach out to your city council member's office. My rate reconsideration was stuck for months, then my council member's office reached out on my behalf and it was fixed in 10 days. They have special contacts at NYSDOL.
This is actually great advice. Government offices respond way faster to other government offices than to us peasants lol
yesss! worked for me too when I was waiting for back pay
Ugh this is so frustrating but unfortunately totally normal right now. I'm in the exact same boat - submitted my reconsideration docs in September and still waiting. The worst part is knowing they have everything they need but just... aren't processing it. I've been documenting every attempt to contact them and sending follow-up messages through the portal every few weeks just to create a paper trail. One thing that helped me was finding out you can sometimes get through if you call the Spanish line and explain you need English help - they've been more responsive for some reason. Also seconding what others said about contacting your local representatives. I'm planning to reach out to mine next week if I don't hear anything soon. This whole system feels designed to make us give up but we can't let them win! Keep pushing and definitely keep certifying every week so you get that backpay when it finally goes through.
This is exactly what I needed to hear - knowing I'm not the only one dealing with this nightmare! I'm definitely going to try the Spanish line trick, that's genius. And you're right about not letting them win, it's so tempting to just give up when you're barely scraping by on the lower amount. Thanks for the motivation to keep fighting this!
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ugh the whole system is so frustrating!! why should we have to stay in toxic jobs just to qualify for benefits we paid into?? makes no sense
I totally understand your frustration - toxic work environments are awful and it feels like you're trapped between staying miserable or losing benefits. Here's what I learned when I was in a similar spot: NYS Department of Labor does allow you to quit and still get unemployment if you can prove "good cause." This includes things like harassment, unsafe working conditions, significant changes to your job duties/pay, or a hostile work environment. The key is having solid documentation - save emails, write down incidents with dates/times, get witness contact info if possible. You don't need to get yourself fired (which is risky). Instead, consider filing complaints with HR first (creates a paper trail), then if things don't improve, you may be able to quit for good cause. Document your attempts to resolve the situation too. It's worth consulting with an employment lawyer for a free consultation if the situation is really bad.
This is really helpful advice! @Jasmine Hernandez How long did it take for NYS Department of Labor to review your good cause claim? I m'worried about the gap between quitting and getting approved - did you have to wait long for benefits to start? Also, did you end up needing that employment lawyer or were you able to handle it on your own with the documentation?
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The whole system is set up to screw workers over! They make it nearly impossible to quit an abusive job and still get benefits. Meanwhile employers can fire you for any reason and you get benefits no questions asked. Makes no sense.
I get the frustration but there are protections in place, they're just not well publicized. The good cause standard exists specifically for situations like OP described.
Have you considered documenting the hostile work environment through a work journal? I kept detailed daily notes when I was dealing with a similar situation - dates, times, witnesses present, exact quotes when possible. Also, if your manager is cutting your hours significantly, that could potentially qualify as "constructive dismissal" since it's affecting your ability to earn a living. You might want to check if your state has any worker protection agencies that could advise you before you make the decision to quit. Sometimes having an official complaint on file can strengthen your unemployment case later.
That's excellent advice about the work journal! I wish I had known to do that earlier. How detailed should the entries be? Should I include things like tone of voice or just stick to factual events? And do you know if there's a minimum timeframe I should document before quitting, or is any amount of documentation better than none?
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Just wanted to say I filed unemployment after being laid off and my old boss actually reached out a few months later when they had an opening. The unemployment claim had zero impact on our relationship. If anything, it showed I was being responsible about my finances during the gap.
Emma, you're overthinking this! Filing for unemployment when you're laid off is exactly what the system is designed for. Your employer already pays unemployment insurance taxes as part of doing business - think of it like any other insurance policy they carry. When you file a legitimate claim after being laid off, you're not "doing anything" to your employer, you're just accessing benefits you're entitled to. In fact, most employers in retail expect their laid-off employees to file for unemployment benefits during slow periods. It sounds like your manager understood the situation was temporary due to budget constraints, so they'll likely view your filing as completely normal and reasonable. Don't let worry about your employer's feelings prevent you from getting the financial support you need right now.
This is such good perspective! I was definitely overthinking it. It helps to hear that employers actually expect this in situations like mine. I think I was confusing unemployment with some kind of complaint or lawsuit against the company, but you're right - it's just insurance that's already built into the system. Thank you for putting it so clearly!
Nia Davis
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!
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Javier Morales
•5 MONTHS?? Omg that's insane. I'm definitely going to try the elected official route before I end up in the same boat.
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Rajan Walker
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!
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Alexander Zeus
•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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