


Ask the community...
The numbers probably don't reflect reality anyway. Between people whose claims are stuck, people who gave up trying to file, and people working part-time who should qualify for partial benefits but don't know about it... the actual need is probably much higher than whatever statistics they publish.
For what it's worth, I remember reading that unemployment numbers dropped significantly in 2024 compared to the peak pandemic years, but there are still way more people on benefits than there were pre-2020. The NYS Department of Labor system is still dealing with the backlog and processing delays from all the changes they had to make.
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO TRIP YOU UP! They have all these different agencies sending confusing letters and emails hoping you'll mess up so they can deny your benefits. NYS Department of Labor, Workforce Development, random contractors - they're all in on it. Keep EVERYTHING documented!
I've been trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor for weeks about my claim status and it's impossible! The phone lines are always busy and when I do get through, I get disconnected. If you need to actually talk to someone at NYS Department of Labor about your claim, I recently found this service called Claimyr that helped me get connected. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting nowhere.
The whole system is so confusing! I thought you couldn't get unemployment if you were working at all. This is actually helpful to know because my hours got cut too but I was afraid to even try filing.
Just make sure you report your earnings EXACTLY right on your weekly claim or they'll hit you with an overpayment later. I learned that the hard way when I forgot to include some tips one week.
CosmicCowboy
The system is so messed up though! They make you jump through all these hoops and then half the time your claim gets held up in adjudication for weeks with no explanation. I swear they design it to be confusing on purpose so people give up.
0 coins
Oliver Becker
Just apply online and see what happens. Worst case they deny you and you appeal. I've seen people get approved who thought they didn't qualify.
0 coins