The NYS Department of Labor system is SO broken. They'll find any excuse to deny claims these days. I got denied initially because they said I 'abandoned my job' when I was actually laid off due to COVID cutbacks. Had to appeal and wait 3 months for a hearing. Even when you're clearly eligible they make it impossible.

Don't panic yet. If you were truly laid off and have 14 months of work history, you should be fine. The key things to watch for: make sure you file your weekly claims on time, keep detailed job search records (you need 3 employer contacts per week), and respond immediately to any requests for information. Most denials happen because people miss deadlines or don't provide required documentation.

Wait so the employer pays the federal unemployment tax rate but we still have to pay taxes on the benefits we receive? That seems like double taxation to me. The whole system is designed to screw over working people.

ya the federal rate doesnt change your weekly amount but like others said you def want to have taxes taken out. i learned that the hard way lol

I had such a hard time getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about this exact situation. Spent hours on hold and kept getting disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helped me reach an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Made the whole process so much easier than trying to call myself.

The whole system is so confusing! I wish they made it clearer what happens when you go back to work. I'm always worried I'm going to do something wrong and owe money back.

omg same thing happened to my boyfriend except his boss tried to say he was drunk when he fell off the ladder!! total bs, he doesnt even drink. some employers are just terrible about this stuff. definitely file workers comp and dont let them scare you

Just to be crystal clear about the money differences - NYS unemployment maxes out at $504/week but workers' comp pays 2/3 of your actual wages with no weekly cap. So if you were making $1200/week, workers' comp would pay you $800/week while unemployment would only pay $504. Plus workers' comp covers all your medical bills which unemployment obviously doesn't do.

I get the theory but the NYS Department of Labor system is so broken that being unemployed feels more like punishment than economic flexibility. My adjudication has been pending for weeks with no explanation.

The key thing to remember is that while some unemployment is structurally necessary for a healthy economy, that doesn't mean individual unemployment isn't challenging. You're still dealing with real financial stress even if your situation serves a broader economic function.