Can't reach New York Unemployment? Claimyr connects you to a live NYDOL agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the NYDOL
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the NYDOL drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
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!
Really made a difference
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.
An incredibly helpful service
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!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
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.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
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!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
I'm in the exact same boat - just got laid off this morning and have about 2 weeks of vacation pay coming. This thread has been a goldmine of information! From reading everyone's experiences, it's crystal clear that getting HR to properly code this as "accrued vacation time" versus "pay in lieu of notice" is absolutely critical. I'm going to call my HR department first thing Monday morning with a specific script based on what @Javier Gomez shared about referencing vacation accrual records and being persistent if they initially want to code it incorrectly. One thing I'm still wondering about - has anyone had experience with vacation pay that includes partial weeks? My accrued time works out to about 9.5 days, so I'm not sure if NYS Department of Labor will round it to 2 full weeks or treat it differently. Also planning to file my claim right away and be completely transparent about the pending vacation payout from day one, since that seems to be the consistent advice from everyone who navigated this successfully. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed real-world experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical guidance that makes all the difference when dealing with the NYS unemployment system!
@Astrid Bergström Great question about partial weeks! From what I ve'seen in similar situations, NYS Department of Labor typically handles partial vacation time by looking at the actual dollar amount rather than rounding to full weeks. So your 9.5 days would likely be treated based on the specific payout amount and whether it exceeds the weekly earnings threshold for the week you receive it. The key is still getting HR to code it properly as accrued "vacation time -" the partial week aspect shouldn t'complicate that as long as they document it correctly. Your plan to file immediately and be transparent from day one sounds perfect based on everyone s'experiences here. Having that script ready for HR on Monday is smart too - being specific about wanting it coded as earned vacation time rather than any form of notice pay seems to make all the difference. Good luck with your claim!
I'm currently going through this exact situation - got laid off yesterday and have about 1.5 weeks of vacation pay coming in my final paycheck. Reading through everyone's detailed experiences here has been incredibly reassuring! It's clear that the main factors are: 1) Getting HR to code it correctly as "accrued vacation time" vs "pay in lieu of notice", 2) having proper documentation, and 3) being transparent from day one when filing. I'm planning to call my HR department Monday morning to make sure they send the right paperwork to NYS Department of Labor before I file my claim. One question - has anyone dealt with vacation pay where the amount might be right at the edge of the weekly earnings limit? I'm trying to figure out if my payout could result in a partial benefit reduction for that week versus complete disqualification. Also, should I wait to file my claim until after I receive my final paycheck with the exact vacation amount, or file immediately with an estimate and update during weekly certifications? Thanks to everyone for sharing such practical real-world advice - this is way more helpful than anything I could find on the official NYS unemployment website!
Join the conversation
Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful! I'm also dealing with a work-related health situation and was worried I wouldn't qualify for unemployment after resigning. The advice about getting specific medical language in the doctor's letter is so important - I made the mistake of just bringing visit notes to my first appointment and they weren't detailed enough. One thing I wanted to add that helped me: if you have any text messages or emails from family/friends where you talked about the work stress affecting your health, save those too. They can help establish a timeline and show that the health issues were ongoing and documented in real-time, not just something you claimed after deciding to quit. Obviously the medical documentation is most important, but having that additional evidence of how the situation was affecting you personally really strengthened my case. Also, for anyone waiting on the phone with NYSDOL - I've had better luck calling right when they open at 8 AM rather than during peak hours. Still takes forever, but at least you get in the queue earlier. Good luck with your doctor appointment tomorrow and your claim! After everything you've been through, you absolutely deserve this support.
That's a really smart tip about saving text messages and emails with family/friends! I actually have several messages to my sister from months ago where I was venting about the impossible workload and how it was giving me constant headaches. I never thought those could be useful evidence, but you're right - they show this was an ongoing issue, not something I made up after deciding to quit. I'm definitely going to include those with my documentation. Thanks for the tip about calling at 8 AM too - I've been dreading having to call NYSDOL but knowing there's a better time to get through makes it feel less overwhelming. It's so helpful hearing from someone else who's been through this process!
I'm so sorry you're going through this situation - the combination of extreme workload and health deterioration is truly awful, and you absolutely made the right choice prioritizing your wellbeing after 15 years of dedication. Based on everything shared here, it sounds like you have a really strong foundation for your claim. The medical documentation linking your migraines directly to work stress is crucial, and your long tenure definitely works in your favor - it clearly shows this wasn't an impulsive decision but a necessary one for your health. I wanted to add one more resource that might help: when you're gathering your documentation, consider requesting your personnel file from HR if you haven't already left on bad terms. Sometimes there are performance reviews, workload assessments, or even notes about staffing changes that could support your case about the impossible conditions you were facing. Also, if you happen to have any coworkers who witnessed the deteriorating conditions or your health struggles, don't hesitate to ask if they'd be willing to provide a brief written statement. While medical documentation is most important, having colleagues corroborate the work environment issues can add credibility to your claim. The fact that so many people here have successfully navigated similar situations gives me hope for your case. You clearly did everything you could to make an impossible situation work, and now you deserve support while you recover and find healthier employment. Wishing you the best with tomorrow's doctor appointment and your upcoming claim!
Join the conversation
I'm currently a home health aide working with an agency here in NYC, and this whole conversation has been incredibly valuable for me to read through. My hours haven't been cut yet, but I've been seeing the writing on the wall with all the budget discussions happening. What I'm curious about is the timeline - for those of you who have successfully filed for partial unemployment, how long did it take from when you first noticed your hours were being reduced to when you actually received your first benefit payment? I want to make sure I understand the full timeline so I can budget accordingly if this happens to me. Also, has anyone had experience with NYS Department of Labor asking for additional documentation after you've already started receiving benefits? I'm just trying to get a complete picture of what the ongoing requirements might look like. Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences - this community is such a great resource for navigating these challenging situations in our industry!
Great question about the timeline, Jamal! From what I've seen in this thread, it looks like most people experienced about 3-4 weeks from filing to receiving their first payment. Malik mentioned getting his first payment after 3 weeks, and Isabella noted that there might be some initial processing delays where they hold back part of the payment at first. As for ongoing documentation requests, I haven't gone through this process myself yet, but it sounds like the main ongoing requirement is the weekly job search log that several people mentioned. It's really smart that you're planning ahead like this - having a clear timeline helps so much with budgeting during what's already a stressful situation. The fact that you're preparing for this possibility shows you're thinking strategically about your financial security, which is so important in our field right now with all the uncertainty around funding.
I'm a home health aide working in upstate New York and this discussion has been incredibly helpful! My agency recently notified all staff that they're expecting significant Medicaid reimbursement cuts in the next quarter, which will likely mean hour reductions for most of us. Reading through everyone's experiences with partial unemployment has given me so much valuable information to prepare with. I especially appreciate the practical tips about keeping detailed documentation, using the labor.ny.gov website to file online, and maintaining thorough job search records. One question I have - has anyone dealt with partial unemployment while working for multiple agencies simultaneously? I currently work for two different home care companies to piece together full-time hours, and I'm wondering how that might complicate the filing process with NYS Department of Labor if both agencies reduce my hours at the same time. Also, does anyone know if there are specific resources or support groups for home care workers dealing with these industry-wide funding challenges? It's clear from this thread that we're all facing similar struggles, and I'd love to connect with others who understand the unique aspects of our work situation.
Hi Sofia! I haven't personally dealt with multiple agencies, but I imagine you'd need to report the total reduction in hours/income from both agencies when filing your partial unemployment claim with NYS Department of Labor. Since you're technically employed by two separate companies, you might need to provide documentation from both showing the hour cuts. I'd recommend calling NYS Department of Labor directly to clarify how to handle the multi-employer situation - or maybe try that Claimyr service that Amara mentioned earlier if you have trouble getting through on the phone. As for support groups, I haven't found any specific ones for home care workers, but this community thread has been incredibly valuable! Maybe we could start a regular discussion here for those of us dealing with these funding challenges? It's really helpful to know we're not alone in navigating this difficult situation in our industry.
Join the conversation
Glad it all worked out! I've been there with the Sunday night panic certification too. One tip that's helped me - I set up a recurring calendar reminder for Saturday evenings that says "Certify for unemployment tomorrow." That way I remember to do it Sunday morning when I'm relaxed instead of scrambling at the last minute. The peace of mind is worth it!
That's a brilliant idea! I'm definitely going to set up a Saturday reminder too. The stress of waiting to see if the payment comes through is not worth the convenience of doing it whenever. Thanks for the tip!
I'm new to NY unemployment and this thread is super helpful! I just started collecting benefits and wasn't sure about the certification timing. Reading everyone's experiences makes me feel more confident about the process. Question though - is there any advantage to certifying early on Sunday versus later in the day, or does it really not matter as long as it's before midnight?
Welcome to NY unemployment! From what I've learned lurking here, there's no real advantage to certifying early vs late on Sunday - the system processes everything in one batch overnight. The main benefit of doing it early is just peace of mind and avoiding that last-minute panic like Sean had. I usually try to do mine Sunday morning with my coffee so I don't have to think about it the rest of the day. Good luck with your benefits!
@Amina Sow Welcome! I ve'been collecting for about 8 months now and can confirm timing doesn t'affect processing - it s'all done in one batch. But I d'recommend doing it Sunday morning if possible just to avoid the stress. Also, keep screenshots of your confirmation pages just in case there are ever any issues. The NY system can be glitchy sometimes and having proof you certified on time has saved me twice when payments got delayed for technical reasons.
Amina Toure
yeah you can work just dont go over the limit or they take it away dollar for dollar which sucks
0 coins
Brian Downey
Just want to add that when you do report your Instacart earnings, make sure you're tracking your expenses too (gas, car maintenance, etc.) for tax purposes. The income you report to NYS DOL should be your gross earnings before expenses, but you'll want those expense records when tax time comes around since you'll likely be filing as a 1099 contractor. Also, keep detailed records of what you earned each week - screenshots of your Instacart earnings, dates, amounts. This will make your weekly certifications much easier and protect you if there are ever any questions later.
0 coins
Owen Devar
•This is really helpful advice about keeping detailed records! I hadn't thought about the tax implications yet. Quick question - when you say report gross earnings to DOL, does that mean before Instacart takes their service fee, or after? Like if a customer paid $50 for groceries and Instacart paid me $35 after their cut, do I report $50 or $35?
0 coins