Wait so if I just started a really good paying job but only worked there 2 months before getting laid off, my unemployment would be based on my old crappy job from last year?? That seems unfair

I went through this same confusion when I first applied! What really helped me understand it was looking at my wage transcript on the NYS DOL website. They break down each quarter and show exactly which employers reported what wages. In your case with the restaurant jobs, if you were working multiple places during the same quarters, those wages all get added together for that period. So even though your most recent job paid more per hour, if your highest total quarterly earnings were from when you were working at the $15/hour place (maybe working more hours or overtime), that would be what determines your benefit amount. The system is definitely not intuitive but once you see the actual numbers it makes more sense.

One thing to watch out for - make sure you report any severance pay you might have received. That can affect when your benefits start. Also if you worked in multiple states, that can complicate things, but since you said it was just the one job in NY you should be fine filing a regular claim with NYS Department of Labor.

Hugo, based on what you've described, you should definitely be eligible for unemployment benefits in NY. Being laid off due to business reasons (not misconduct) qualifies you, and 8 months of work history should meet the earnings requirements if you were making $16/hour consistently. A few tips: 1) File your claim online at labor.ny.gov as soon as possible - you can backdate up to one week but don't delay, 2) Have your Social Security card, driver's license, and employment records ready when you apply, 3) Start keeping a job search log right away since you'll need to document those 3 weekly job contacts. The online application walks you through everything step by step. Good luck!

FINAL UPDATE: The money hit my account this morning! For anyone else who makes a certification mistake - make sure you speak with someone who can actually approve the correction, not just submit it. Regular agents seem to give standard timeframes that aren't accurate for these special cases. Huge relief to finally have this resolved.

So glad to see this resolved! This thread is really helpful for understanding the difference between getting a correction "submitted" vs actually "approved." I'm dealing with a similar issue right now where I accidentally marked the wrong earnings amount during certification. It's been 6 days since they said it was "fixed" but my payment is still showing as pending. Based on what everyone shared here, sounds like I need to call back and specifically ask to speak with someone who can actually approve the correction, not just the regular agents who can only see the status. Thanks for all the detailed updates - this gives me hope that it can actually get resolved quickly once you reach the right person!

Based on everything you've shared, this sounds like the March system update issue. Your friend should: 1. Continue certifying weekly without fail 2. Try calling first thing Monday morning (7:30am is best) 3. Check his online account settings to ensure contact information is current 4. Look for a mail notice (sometimes they send physical mail but not online messages) 5. Verify his direct deposit or debit card information hasn't expired If he still can't get through by phone after 3 days of trying, the Claimyr service mentioned above might be worth considering as waiting too long can further complicate the resolution.

I went through something similar last year and it turned out to be a "routine review" that wasn't routine at all - took 6 weeks to resolve! The most frustrating part is how the system gives you zero indication of what's happening. One thing that helped me was documenting everything - screenshot his account pages, note the dates he certified, keep records of when he tries calling. When you finally get through to someone, having all that info ready makes the call go much faster. Also, tell him to check if his bank account info is still valid - I've seen cases where expired debit cards caused payments to bounce back and trigger account holds. Hope this gets resolved soon!

The key is understanding that unemployment isn't automatic even when you're terminated. NYS Department of Labor has to determine if the termination was for cause (misconduct) or not. Attendance issues can be tricky - it depends if you followed company policy for reporting absences and if there were legitimate reasons.

I went through this exact situation last year and it's really nerve-wracking but you have a good chance if you have documentation. Since you have texts showing you communicated about childcare issues and called in when late, that works in your favor. NYS Department of Labor will look at whether your employer had clear attendance policies, if they gave you progressive discipline (warnings before termination), and if your reasons were legitimate. Childcare issues are generally considered valid reasons for attendance problems. Make sure to submit all your text messages and any emails as evidence during the adjudication process. It took about 6 weeks for my case to be resolved but I did get approved in the end.