If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone to ask questions about your claim, there are services like Claimyr (claimyr.com) that can help you reach an agent faster. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. But the actual unemployment benefits themselves are always free - never pay for those!

I've been filing weekly claims for 2 months now and haven't paid anything. The NYS Department of Labor system can be frustrating but at least it doesn't cost us money on top of everything else we're dealing with when unemployed.

honestly the whole system is set up to pay you as little as possible. i've been on unemployment twice and both times they found some excuse to delay my payments or question my eligibility. just expect them to make it difficult and document EVERYTHING. save all your job search logs, screenshot your weekly claim confirmations, keep records of any correspondence.

One thing I learned - if you're thinking about going back to school, look into the training programs first before you start. Some programs can extend your benefits or even waive job search requirements while you're in approved training. But you have to get approval before you start the program.

just went through this whole thing with my employer saying i was fired for misconduct when i was clearly laid off due to slow business. took forever to get through to nys department of labor but eventually they ruled in my favor. employers will try anything to avoid paying higher ui taxes

To directly answer your original question - there's no specific dollar amount per claim. It depends on the employer's payroll size, their claims history, and current UI tax rates. A restaurant with high turnover might already be paying close to the maximum rate of 9.9%, while a stable company with few claims might pay the minimum. Your individual claim gets added to their experience rating calculation for future years.

Make sure he files as soon as possible after his last day of work! There's no waiting period in New York but you can't get benefits for any weeks before you file your claim. Also tell him not to stress too much about making mistakes on the application - he can always call to correct information later if needed.

ugh the whole system is such a mess. why can't they just have a simple form instead of making people jump through hoops on that terrible website

The whole system is BROKEN. They deny legitimate claims all the time and then make YOU prove you deserve benefits. Automation has been destroying jobs for decades and they still don't have proper procedures for handling these cases. Fight this hard because they're hoping you'll just give up.

Actually this is a really interesting case because unemployment law has always recognized technological displacement as a valid reason for benefits. The fact that machines are doing work formerly done by humans is exactly the kind of economic shift unemployment insurance was designed to help with. Your appeal should be straightforward if you have proper documentation of the automation implementation.