wait so if I understand this right - if I get laid off again next year I'd have to wait a whole year before I can file for another 26 weeks? or can you file again right away if you worked enough after your last claim?

Just wanted to add that you should also keep in mind that NY has a "waiting week" - the first week you file usually doesn't get paid, but it does count toward establishing your claim. So even though you get 26 weeks of payments, you'll actually be filing for 27 weeks total. Also, make sure you're keeping detailed records of your job search activities from day one because they can ask for that information at any time during your claim period. I learned this the hard way when they requested my job search log after week 10 and I had to scramble to reconstruct everything.

This whole system is a mess. They make it so confusing on purpose so people don't claim what they're owed. I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for months and still don't have clear answers about my eligibility.

I'm in a similar situation - working in hospitality and my hours got cut from full-time to about 15 hours a week. I was scared to file because I thought you had to be completely unemployed, but after reading these responses I'm definitely going to apply for partial benefits. @Liam Mendez - from what I've researched, you do still need to do job search activities even on partial unemployment, but the requirements might be reduced since you're still working. You should check the specific requirements when you file your claim. Don't wait like I did!

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.

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!