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Even with partial disability, you'd need to be cleared by your doctor to work and actively seeking employment to qualify for unemployment. The partial disability payments might affect your unemployment calculation too. It gets complicated quickly - definitely worth talking to NYS Department of Labor directly about your specific medical restrictions.
File ASAP! You have to file within like 30 days or something and there's a waiting week anyway. Even if you're not sure if you qualify, just file and let NYS Department of Labor sort it out.
The system is so confusing though. I got fired from my retail job for 'attitude problems' whatever that means and my claim is still pending after 2 weeks. How do they even decide these things? Do they call your old boss?
ugh the whole system is so confusing!! i ran out of benefits too and when i called NYS Department of Labor they just kept transferring me around. nobody could give me a straight answer about whether i could apply again or not. spent like 2 hours on hold just to get hung up on
I had the same problem trying to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor about my expired claim. Ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to an agent in like 15 minutes. They have a video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. The agent was able to look at my work history and tell me exactly what I needed to do to file a new claim.
Just wanted to add that if you do qualify for a new claim, you'll have to go through the whole process again - job search requirements, waiting week, all of it. Make sure you have all your employment documentation ready before you start the application.
If you're having trouble getting through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to verify your benefit amounts or get documentation, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) when I needed to talk to an agent about my 1099-G form. They help you actually reach a human at the unemployment office instead of sitting on hold forever. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call.
Just to add - make sure you're looking at the right tax year when reporting. If you received unemployment in 2024, that goes on your 2025-2026 FAFSA. If it was 2023 benefits, it should have been on your current FAFSA. The timing can get confusing especially if you were collecting UI across multiple calendar years.
Amara Okafor
The key is staying on top of your weekly certifications while you wait. I made the mistake of not filing my first week because I thought I had to wait for approval first - cost me a week of benefits. Also, if you don't hear anything after two weeks, try calling the NYS Department of Labor helpline, though getting through can be challenging during peak hours.
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CosmicCommander
•OMG yes the phone situation is terrible! I've been trying to call for three days about my pending claim and either get busy signals or sit on hold for hours before getting disconnected. There has to be a better way to reach someone.
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Giovanni Colombo
•Actually, I had this exact problem trying to reach NYS Department of Labor agents about my claim status. After weeks of failed calls, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that basically calls for you and gets you connected to an actual person. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. It saved me so much frustration - got through on the first try and finally got my adjudication issue resolved.
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
Mine got approved in exactly 8 days but I think I got lucky. My friend filed the same week and hers took almost 3 weeks because they had questions about her work history. The system is just really inconsistent unfortunately.
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