I just went through this exact process a few weeks ago and wanted to share my experience since I see so many people here stressed about the same thing! I was receiving $310/week in unemployment benefits and was absolutely convinced it would disqualify me from Medicaid. Turns out I was completely wrong - got approved in just over a week! The income limits in NY are really designed to help people in situations like ours. My weekly benefits worked out to about $1,340/month which was well under the threshold. The online application through NY State of Health was surprisingly user-friendly, and having my benefit payment history from the NYS DOL website ready made everything go smoothly. One thing I learned is that being unemployed actually works in your favor for Medicaid eligibility - the program is specifically meant to help people who are between jobs or facing financial hardship. Don't let the income reporting requirements scare you off from applying. You'll likely qualify and having health coverage while job searching is such a huge relief!

I'm in a very similar situation and this thread has been such a lifesaver! I've been on unemployment for about 2 months now, getting around $340/week, and have been putting off applying for Medicaid because I was terrified the income would disqualify me. Reading everyone's experiences here has completely changed my perspective - it sounds like I'm actually in a good position to qualify! I love how supportive this community is. It's so helpful to hear from people who've actually been through the process rather than just trying to navigate confusing government websites. I'm definitely going to apply online through NY State of Health this week and get my benefit payment history ready from the NYS DOL site. Thank you all for sharing your stories and taking the anxiety out of this process!

I just went through this same situation a few months ago! One thing that really helped me was printing out a screenshot of my benefit information once I found it - that way I had a physical record of my benefit year dates and remaining weeks that I could refer to without having to log in every time I wanted to check. Also, if you're getting close to your benefit year end date, start gathering your employment documents now (W-2s, pay stubs, etc.) just in case you need to file a new claim. The process goes much faster when you have everything ready to go. I also set up calendar reminders for myself - one when I had 4 weeks left, and another at 2 weeks - so I could plan accordingly and not get caught off guard.

One more tip that saved me a lot of stress - if you're using direct deposit for your unemployment benefits, keep an eye on your bank statements around the time your benefits are supposed to end. Sometimes there can be delays in the system updating, and you might receive one or two extra payments even after you thought your benefits had expired. Don't spend that money right away! NYS DOL can claw back overpayments later, and you'd be responsible for paying it back. I always wait at least a week after my expected last payment to make sure there aren't any surprise deposits that need to be returned. It's better to be cautious than deal with an overpayment notice months later.

I'm in the exact same situation! Filed my claim in early June and had my phone interview on Wednesday. Still no text yet but seeing your post gives me so much hope! The waiting has been absolutely brutal - almost 3 months of uncertainty and stress about whether everything would work out. It's really encouraging to hear that once you get that text from shortcode 41411, the payment typically comes within 2-3 business days. I've been staying on top of all my weekly certifications every Sunday and have my direct deposit information all set up correctly. Thanks for sharing your timeline - it's incredibly helpful to see real experiences from people currently going through this process. Hopefully we both see those backpay deposits hit our accounts very soon! The finish line is finally in sight 🙌

Just wanted to add my experience since I literally went through this exact same thing about 6 weeks ago! Filed my claim in April and had my phone interview in late July. Got that same text message from 41411 on a Friday afternoon and my direct deposit hit Monday morning - so right in that 2-3 business day window everyone's talking about. Since you've been waiting since May, you're definitely going to get a substantial backpay lump sum which will feel incredible after all this waiting! The one thing I wish I had known was to keep a close eye on your bank account because sometimes the deposit hits earlier in the morning than you'd expect. Also make sure you don't change ANYTHING with your payment settings now that you're this close - I've heard horror stories of people accidentally delaying their payments by updating bank info at the last minute. You've made it through the hardest part with that phone interview, now just a few more days of patience! 🎉

I just want to echo what everyone else has said - definitely file your claim! I was in almost the exact same situation last year (fired after about 10 weeks for "performance reasons") and was convinced I wouldn't qualify. Turns out I was totally wrong. The NY Department of Labor looks at your entire work history, not just your most recent job, so your 14 months at the previous position should absolutely count toward your base period wages. The whole "90 days" thing isn't even a real rule for unemployment eligibility - I think that might be something people confuse with probationary periods at work. Performance issues typically don't rise to the level of misconduct unless you were doing something deliberately wrong or violating company policy. When I filed my claim, I just answered exactly what my employer told me and didn't try to read between the lines or speculate about their real motivations. Got approved within a few weeks. The worst that happens is they say no, but based on what you've described, you have a solid chance. Don't wait - file this week!

I'm a newcomer here but wanted to share my perspective as someone who works in unemployment claims processing. The advice everyone's giving is spot-on - there's absolutely no minimum employment duration required for unemployment benefits in New York. I see cases like yours regularly where people assume they're ineligible due to short tenure, but that's simply not how the system works. Your 14 months of prior employment should easily establish your base period eligibility. The key distinction is between being terminated for performance issues (which you described) versus misconduct - performance problems rarely constitute disqualifying misconduct unless there was willful refusal to work or serious policy violations. File your claim online through ny.gov immediately, answer all questions factually based on what your employer specifically told you, and don't overthink it. The Department of Labor will make the final determination, but based on what you've shared, you have a legitimate claim worth pursuing. Even if your former employer contests it, that's routine and doesn't mean automatic denial.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now - been at my first office job for about 5 months and just got called into a meeting about my productivity numbers being below target. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief! I had absolutely no idea that poor performance was treated differently than misconduct for unemployment purposes. Like many of you, I've been putting in genuine effort - asking questions, staying late when needed, taking notes during training - but I'm still not hitting the benchmarks they want. It's incredibly reassuring to hear so many success stories from people who got their claims approved after performance-related terminations. The distinction between struggling to meet standards versus deliberately not doing your job makes total sense. I'm definitely going to start keeping detailed records of everything now - performance reviews, training completion, feedback sessions. Thank you all for sharing your stories so openly - it's comforting to know that if the worst happens, there's still support available while we figure out our next steps!

I'm currently going through this exact situation at my first job out of college - been working at a call center for about 4 months and just received my first formal warning for not meeting average handle time and customer satisfaction scores. This entire discussion has been absolutely invaluable to discover! I genuinely believed that any termination related to performance would automatically make me ineligible for unemployment benefits, so learning about the clear distinction between poor performance and willful misconduct has been such a game-changer for my anxiety levels. Like so many others here, I've been genuinely working hard to improve - attending every optional training session, asking my team lead for regular feedback, practicing scripts during breaks, and even watching customer service tutorials at home - but I'm still struggling to balance speed with quality in a way that meets their metrics. Reading all these positive outcomes from people who successfully received benefits after similar performance-related terminations has given me so much hope that there's actually a safety net if this doesn't work out. I'm definitely taking everyone's documentation advice seriously and starting to organize all my performance reviews, training certificates, and feedback emails into a comprehensive folder. Thank you everyone for being so transparent about your experiences - it's incredible to realize how many people understand exactly what this stress feels like and that there are real protections in place for those of us who are genuinely trying our best but struggling with job requirements!