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The whole system is messed up anyway. Employers always try to fight legitimate claims to keep their rates low, then act like we're stealing from them when we file. Meanwhile we worked and earned those benefits through our employment. NYS Department of Labor should make it clearer that this isn't charity - it's insurance we're entitled to.
I'm going through something similar right now! Got fired for missing too many days when my car broke down and couldn't afford to fix it right away. My claim has been in adjudication for 3 weeks now and I'm going crazy waiting. Did you already file or are you still thinking about it?
Had a friend who got fired for attendance and couldn't reach anyone at NYS Department of Labor for weeks to check on her claim status. She ended up using some service called Claimyr that helped her get through to an actual agent. Think it was claimyr.com or something. They have a video demo showing how it works at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. Might be worth checking out if you run into issues getting through to them.
If you're having trouble getting through to the NYS Department of Labor by phone to check on your application status, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Was really helpful when my claim got stuck in adjudication and I couldn't reach anyone for weeks.
Just to set expectations - filing the initial claim is just the first step. It can take 2-3 weeks before you get your first payment even if everything goes smoothly. If there are any issues with your employment history or reason for separation, it could go into adjudication which adds more time.
The whole system is such a mess honestly. I filed three months ago and STILL dealing with adjudication issues. Good luck getting anyone on the phone at NYS Department of Labor - you'll be on hold for hours just to get disconnected.
NeonNinja
The weekly amount can change if you have part-time work during any week. They reduce your benefit based on how much you earn, but there's a small amount you can make without any reduction. I think it's like $143 or something around there for 2025.
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Anastasia Popov
•I was having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about this exact thing - the partial work rules. Kept getting busy signals for weeks. Finally used claimyr.com to get connected to an actual agent and they explained the whole partial benefit calculation. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really saved me a lot of frustration trying to call on my own.
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Freya Nielsen
•Thanks for that info! I might need to work part-time so good to know there's some wiggle room before they reduce the payment.
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Sean Murphy
Just remember you also have to do job search activities every week and keep records of it. They can audit your job search log at any time and if you don't have the required contacts, they'll disqualify you and demand repayment of benefits. The requirements are pretty specific about what counts as a valid job contact.
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Freya Nielsen
•How many job contacts do I need per week? And what exactly counts as a valid contact?
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Omar Mahmoud
•For most people it's 3 job contacts per week. Valid contacts include applying for jobs, contacting employers directly, attending job fairs, or networking activities. Just browsing job sites doesn't count - you need to actually apply or make contact.
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