


Ask the community...
I'm in the same boat with highest unemployment in my area and getting anxious about when my claim will be approved. What if they're prioritizing other regions? What if there's not enough funding allocated to areas like ours? Should I be doing something else while I wait?
The whole system is overwhelmed everywhere regardless of local unemployment rates! I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for months and it's the same story - delays, busy phone lines, unclear status updates. Areas with highest unemployment probably just have more people calling the same overloaded system.
For most people it's about 2-3 weeks total if there are no complications. Week 1 is filing and waiting for determination, Week 2 is your unpaid waiting week where you still need to certify weekly, Week 3 is when you should see your first payment if everything is approved. The important thing is to keep certifying every week even if you haven't been paid yet, and make sure you're doing your job search requirements from day one.
I think Hawaii might actually have higher benefits but don't quote me on that. The whole system varies so much state to state it's crazy
Just to clarify - while NY has high maximum benefits, what you actually receive is calculated as a percentage of your average weekly wage during your base period. The $504 is only if you were earning around $1,300+ per week consistently. Most people get somewhere between $200-400 weekly.
The whole system is rigged in favor of employers!! They know most people can't afford lawyers to fight these cases so they just throw around accusations hoping you'll give up. Document EVERYTHING and don't let them intimidate you into withdrawing your claim.
Amina Sow
Whatever you do don't lie to them! They will find out and then you'll be in even worse trouble. I know someone who tried to hide why they got fired and they ended up having to pay back all their benefits plus penalties.
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GalaxyGazer
NYS Department of Labor sees this stuff all the time unfortunately. Performance issues vs misconduct is a big distinction for them. Like if you were late all the time or refused to do your job that's misconduct. But if they're saying you weren't meeting metrics or productivity standards, that's usually not considered misconduct that would disqualify you. The safety complaint angle might actually strengthen your case if you can show the timeline of when you made complaints vs when the 'performance issues' started being documented.
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