I'm a graduate student who successfully collected unemployment benefits in NY after losing my research assistant position last year. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that NYS Department of Labor may ask you to provide your course catalog or syllabus to verify your class times, especially if your availability seems limited. They want to make sure you're not just saying you're available but actually have the schedule flexibility to accept work. Since you've been working 25 hours/week consistently while taking 12 credits, that's excellent evidence that you can manage both. Also, when you do your required job searches, focus on positions similar to what you had - restaurants, retail, etc. that typically offer flexible scheduling. Don't feel pressured to apply for 9-5 office jobs that obviously wouldn't work with your class schedule. The Department of Labor understands that "suitable work" for a student looks different than for someone who's not enrolled. Good luck with your application!

I'm a junior who went through this process last semester after losing my campus job. The key thing that helped me was being super organized with my documentation before applying. I created a folder with: pay stubs from the past 18 months, my official class schedule, a written statement explaining my availability (including specific days/times I could work), and a list of my work history while enrolled. NYS Department of Labor did ask detailed questions about my student status, but having everything ready made the process much smoother. Also, don't be discouraged by the initial phone wait times - I used the early morning calling strategy someone mentioned and usually got through within 30-45 minutes. The whole approval process took about 4 weeks for me, but that included some back-and-forth for additional documentation. Once approved, the weekly certifications were pretty routine. Since you've been consistently working 25 hours while taking classes, you have a strong case. Just be thorough with your prep work and honest about your situation throughout the process.

This entire thread has been absolutely incredible! I stumbled across this while frantically googling what to expect from my appointment next week and honestly you all have saved my sanity. I was spiraling thinking they were going to grill me about every detail and look for reasons to cut my benefits, but it's so clear from everyone's experiences that they genuinely want to help you succeed. I'm definitely going to follow all the great advice here - organizing my work search log in a spreadsheet with screenshots, printing everything out, bringing a notebook to take notes, and practicing how to explain my job search strategy out loud. The tip about asking for hidden job opportunities and training programs is gold! It's amazing how this community supports each other through these stressful situations. You've all turned what felt like a terrifying interrogation into something I'm actually looking forward to as a chance to get real career help. Thank you so much for sharing your real experiences! 🙏✨

Reading through all these experiences has been so helpful! I just got scheduled for mine next week and was completely panicking about what to expect. It's reassuring to see that everyone found their counselors supportive rather than intimidating. I'm definitely taking notes on all the prep advice - especially the spreadsheet idea with screenshots and having a backup plan for tech issues. One question for those who've been through it: do they provide any follow-up resources or check in with you after the appointment, or is it more of a one-time session? Thanks to everyone for sharing your real experiences - this thread has been a lifesaver for reducing anxiety about the whole process! 🙏

I've been following this thread as someone who went through a similar situation about 8 months ago. My hours got slashed from 38 to around 16 per week at my retail job, and the partial unemployment benefits were honestly a lifesaver. A few practical tips based on my experience: 1. **Apply immediately** - I made the mistake of waiting 2 weeks thinking my hours might get restored, and that cost me benefits I could have received. 2. **Document everything** - Take photos of your schedules, save any texts about hour cuts, keep all pay stubs. I had to prove the involuntary reduction when my employer initially contested. 3. **The "day vs hours" thing is real** - I learned this the hard way. Working 12 hours spread across 4 days = $0 benefits. Working 12 hours in 2 days = 50% of your weekly benefit. It's backwards but that's the system. 4. **Don't feel guilty about applying** - You paid into unemployment insurance through your paychecks. This is exactly what it's designed for. The partial benefits covered about 60% of what I was losing from the hour cuts, which was enough to keep me from falling behind on rent while job searching. The whole process took about 3 weeks from application to first payment, so start ASAP. You're dealing with an involuntary reduction in hours due to business needs - that's textbook partial unemployment territory. Hang in there! The system is confusing but it does work once you figure it out.

I'm dealing with this exact situation right now too! My hours got cut from 35 to about 22 per week at my restaurant job in January. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so eye-opening - I had no idea about NY's day-counting system or that I could even apply for partial benefits while still working. The advice about clustering shifts into fewer days is genius and something I never would have thought of on my own. I'm definitely going to apply this week after seeing how much it helped so many people here. One thing I'm curious about - for those who successfully negotiated schedule changes with their managers, did you find that having fewer but longer shifts actually worked better for you work-wise too, or was it mainly just beneficial for the unemployment calculations? I'm hoping I can frame it as a win-win situation when I talk to my supervisor. Also want to echo what others have said about not feeling guilty - we've all been paying into this system and situations like involuntary hour cuts are exactly what it's designed to help with. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed and honest experiences!

I'm really sorry you're going through this - having a job offer pulled at the last minute is such a gut punch, especially after you'd already mentally moved on from job searching. From what I understand about NYS Department of Labor eligibility, you should definitely be able to file for unemployment benefits in this situation. A rescinded offer through no fault of your own absolutely qualifies as involuntary unemployment. The fact that you were already unemployed when they pulled the offer actually makes your case pretty straightforward - you didn't quit a job or turn down work, the employer withdrew an offer due to their own budget issues. I'd definitely file ASAP and make sure to include all the details and documentation about the offer timeline. Don't feel guilty about claiming benefits you're entitled to - this is exactly the kind of unexpected situation the unemployment system exists to help with. Hang in there and good luck with your claim!

I went through almost the exact same thing about 6 months ago and wanted to share my experience to hopefully ease your stress a bit! I had been unemployed for about 2 months, got a job offer, accepted it, completed all the pre-employment stuff including drug screening and I-9 verification, and then got a call 4 days before my start date saying they were eliminating the position due to "restructuring." I was devastated and worried about filing for unemployment since the timing was so weird. But when I called NYS Department of Labor to explain my situation, the representative was actually really helpful and said this happens more than you'd think. They told me to file immediately and include a detailed explanation of what happened with dates and documentation. My claim was processed normally and approved within about 2 weeks with no adjudication needed. The key thing they emphasized was that I was involuntarily unemployed through no fault of my own - which is exactly your situation too. Don't second-guess yourself about filing, you absolutely deserve these benefits after what happened!

This whole thread has been so helpful! I'm dealing with something similar right now - certified on Monday but still nothing showing up in my payment history. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like these verification holds from the February system update are more common than I realized. @Aaron Boston I'm so glad you got yours resolved quickly once you reached an agent! That gives me hope that mine might be a similar situation. Going to try calling first thing tomorrow with all my documentation ready. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and tips - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice you can't get from the official NYSDOL website!

This thread is incredibly helpful! I'm also dealing with a missing certification issue right now - certified on Tuesday but nothing showing in my payment history. After reading through everyone's experiences, especially @Aaron Boston's resolution, I'm feeling much more hopeful that this is just another one of those verification holds from the February system update rather than a major problem. It's so frustrating that the system creates these holds automatically but requires calling to fix them, and that there's no notification to let us know what's happening. Going to try calling tomorrow morning with all my info ready. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - this community is such a lifesaver when the official resources leave us in the dark!