I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! I stopped certifying for about 8 weeks when my father was hospitalized and I had to travel out of state to help with his care. When I tried to get back into the system, it was completely locked out. What I learned from calling (took me 3 days of trying to get through): they DO have provisions for family emergencies, but you need to be specific about why it made you unavailable for work. In my case, I had to explain that I was the primary caregiver and had to be physically present in another state. The agent walked me through reactivating my claim over the phone and had me complete an additional questionnaire about my availability during that time period. They also asked me to confirm that I wasn't working or receiving any other income during the gap. One tip: when you do get through to someone, ask them to note in your file that you've already started the reactivation process online. This seemed to speed things up for me. Also, make sure you're ready to start certifying immediately once they reactivate - they expect you to resume weekly certifications right away. Your September 5th BYE date gives you a tight window, but if you can get this sorted in the next week or two, you should be able to claim your remaining benefits. Don't give up!

I just went through this exact situation last month! The key thing to understand is that your benefits don't disappear when you stop certifying - your claim just becomes inactive. However, since September 5th is your BYE date, you're absolutely right to be concerned about timing. Here's what saved me: I called the NYSDOL number at exactly 8:00 AM on a Tuesday and got through after about 45 minutes of redialing. The agent was actually very understanding about my family emergency situation. They reactivated my claim over the phone and had me complete a questionnaire explaining why I wasn't available for work. The most important thing they told me: be very specific about how the family emergency prevented you from being available for work. Don't just say "family emergency" - explain that you had to provide care, travel out of state, couldn't maintain a job search schedule, etc. They need to understand why it made you genuinely unavailable for employment. Once reactivated, I was able to backdate some of my certifications (not all 10 weeks, but they did allow me to claim a few weeks retroactively). The whole process took about 2 weeks from start to finish. Since you've already started the online reactivation, you're on the right track. Keep trying to call though - having a conversation with an actual person really helps clarify your specific situation and timeline.

I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for years with my business and getting through to them when you have questions is nearly impossible. If you need to talk to someone about your specific situation, I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that actually gets you connected to NYS Department of Labor agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting busy signals.

Just wanted to add that the rules can vary slightly if you're in certain industries. For example, agricultural employers have different thresholds - they need to pay UI taxes if they pay $20,000 or more in wages in any calendar quarter, or if they employ 10 or more workers for some portion of at least one day in each of 20 different weeks. Also, domestic service employers (like if you hire a nanny or housekeeper) have their own rules too. Make sure to check the specific requirements for your type of business when you register!

From what I understand, NYS Department of Labor processes intercept orders pretty quickly once they receive them from child support enforcement. The bigger delay is usually on the child support side - getting the paperwork processed and submitted. You should be able to call your caseworker and ask for a status update on when exactly they submitted the order to unemployment.

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago. The intercept took about 3 weeks once child support enforcement actually submitted the order to NYS DOL, but here's what I wish someone had told me: keep detailed records of everything. Document when you contacted child support enforcement, when they said they submitted the order, and follow up weekly. Also, in NY they can typically take up to 65% of unemployment benefits for child support, but it depends on if there are other garnishments. The amount varies based on his benefit amount and what's considered necessary for his basic living expenses. Hang in there - it's frustrating but once it starts, at least you'll get something consistently.

I went through this exact same situation last year with a $3,200 overpayment. The NYS DOL definitely cannot just drain your bank account without warning - that's not how their process works. They'll first send you multiple notices giving you options to either appeal or set up a payment plan. I was terrified they'd take all my money too, but they actually worked with me on a $150/month payment plan that I could afford. The important thing is to respond to their letters and communicate with them. If you ignore it completely, that's when they can eventually pursue more aggressive collection methods, but even then they have to go through legal channels first. Don't panic about your rent money - you have time to work this out properly.

I'm dealing with a similar overpayment situation right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! Like others mentioned, the NYS DOL does follow a process - they can't just surprise you by emptying your bank account. I got my first overpayment notice about 6 weeks ago and was panicking, but after reading all the responses here I called them (took forever to get through) and they walked me through the payment plan options. They were actually pretty reasonable about working with my budget. The key thing everyone's saying is true - don't ignore the notices! That's when things can get more complicated down the road. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, it really helps to know we're not alone in dealing with this stuff.

I went through the same confusion when I first filed! The $504 weekly benefit is actually pretty good - that's close to the maximum you can get in New York state. Just to put it in perspective, the minimum weekly benefit in NY is around $104, so you're doing well. The amount is based on your highest earning quarter during your base period, so if you were making decent money before becoming unemployed, that explains the higher benefit amount. The regular state unemployment typically lasts up to 26 weeks, but there's no extra federal money being added on top like there was during COVID.

I was in a similar situation last year and had the same confusion! The $504 you're receiving is actually really good - that's essentially the maximum weekly benefit amount in New York State. During the pandemic there were all those extra federal programs (like the additional $300-600 per week), but those ended back in 2021. Now it's just the regular state unemployment insurance, which for NY maxes out around $504 based on your previous earnings. The duration is typically 26 weeks of benefits. If you've been getting $504 for 3 months already, you're definitely getting the full amount you're entitled to under the current system. No extra money available beyond that unfortunately!