I was struggling to reach NYS Department of Labor agents to get clarification on my eligibility status when my claim got flagged for review. The phone lines are always busy and the online messaging never gets responses. I ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual agent in like 10 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really helped me understand what documentation I needed to prove I was still eligible.

Same boat here! Restaurant worker too and the whole eligible thing had me stressed. As long as you're doing your weekly certifications honestly and keeping up with the job search stuff you should be fine. The restaurant industry is actually pretty good for finding multiple job leads each week since there's always turnover somewhere.

Progress is better than nothing I guess but the NYS Department of Labor system is so confusing. Why can't they just say 'under review' or something normal people can understand? And why does it take weeks just to verify basic information? Other states process claims way faster.

I've been through this same situation! "Progress" status drove me crazy for about 2-3 weeks, but it eventually switched to approved. The key thing is to keep filing your weekly certifications no matter what - I almost stopped doing them thinking it didn't matter, but my caseworker later told me that would have delayed my payments even more. The NYS system is definitely slow, but progress is actually a good sign that there are no major issues with your application. Hang in there!

Being laid off is way easier than other situations for unemployment. I got laid off from my restaurant job last year and had no issues at all - claim was approved in like 10 days. Just make sure you have your last pay stub and any layoff notice from your employer when you file.

One thing I'd add is to file your claim online as soon as possible after your last day of work - don't wait! The NYS Department of Labor website (labor.ny.gov) lets you file 24/7 and it's much faster than trying to call. Also, if your company is doing a mass layoff (50+ people), they might have already filed a WARN notice with the state which can actually speed up processing since DOL already knows about the layoffs. Make sure to keep all your paperwork from your employer about the layoff - having that documentation ready will help if they need any clarification during the review process.

Just checking back - were you able to get through to NYSDOL? Make sure to have your NY.gov ID and all your claim information ready when you call. Also, check if you received any DocuSign emails - sometimes they require additional documentation for the Extended Benefits program that wasn't needed for regular UI.

That's awesome @Aisha Abdullah! So glad you got it sorted out. For anyone else dealing with this issue, it sounds like the key takeaways are: 1) "Benefits exhausted" usually means your regular 26-week UI ran out, not that FPUC ended early, 2) You should qualify for Extended Benefits but the system often doesn't auto-enroll you, 3) Calling NYSDOL is necessary but can be really tough - services like Claimyr can help you actually get through, and 4) Make sure to check for any ID verification or documentation requests that might be blocking your transition to EB. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this thread will probably help a lot of people in the same situation!

The only potential tax consideration is that unemployment benefits are taxable income for federal and state taxes, while Social Security benefits may or may not be taxable depending on your total income. But this is just a tax issue, not an impact on the benefit amounts themselves.

I'm actually dealing with a similar situation right now - I'm 61 and just got laid off from my job of 15 years. I was also worried about how unemployment might affect my future Social Security benefits, so I did a lot of research and even spoke with someone at the Social Security Administration. They confirmed what others have said here - unemployment benefits are NOT counted as earned income for Social Security purposes and won't impact your benefit calculation at all. The Social Security Administration only looks at wages from employment and self-employment income when calculating your benefits. Unemployment insurance is considered an insurance benefit, not earnings. So you can definitely file with NYS Department of Labor without any concerns about your future Social Security. I filed mine last week and feel much better knowing it won't hurt my retirement plans.