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The Commissioner is Roberta Reardon but she's not going to handle individual claims obviously. For your situation, the Claims Division handles weekly certifications and the Adjudication Unit reviews flagged claims. If your claims are being held up, there's probably a work search requirement issue or they need additional verification.
I had so much trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor when they flagged my claim for review. Kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that calls them for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me weeks of frustration trying to get answers about my disqualification.
The whole system is designed to deny as many people as possible! They'll find any excuse - didn't file your weekly claim on the exact right day, missed one job search contact, anything. It's all about saving the state money.
Don't forget you also have to register for work with the NYS Department of Labor job search website and keep your profile updated. And if you refuse a suitable job offer without good cause, you can lose your benefits. 'Suitable' generally means work that's similar to your previous job in terms of skills and pay, but as time goes on they might expect you to accept lower-paying positions.
ugh the phone interviews are such a pain! I had mine last month and they asked me like 20 questions about every single job I had in the past 18 months. Why I left each one, what my duties were, how much I made... it was exhausting. But I got approved after so I guess it worked out.
Don't overthink it too much. They just want to make sure you're eligible and that everything adds up. Common reasons for interviews include voluntary quit situations, misconduct allegations, or if your employer contests your claim. Just be prepared to explain your work history clearly and why you're unemployed now.
Emma Garcia
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO DENY BENEFITS! They make it so confusing on purpose. I got denied even though I worked for 2 years because they said I didn't earn enough in the right quarters. Make sure you understand their base period calculation or you'll get screwed like I did.
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Ava Kim
•That sucks but did you appeal the decision? Sometimes they calculate the base period wrong initially.
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Ethan Anderson
Just went through this myself. The main thing is being unemployed through no fault of your own. Economic layoffs, company closures, end of seasonal work all qualify. Getting fired for poor performance might still qualify but misconduct like stealing or violating company policy usually doesn't. Your 18 months should be plenty for the earnings requirement.
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