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Been there! When I got laid off from my restaurant job last year it was super overwhelming at first. The key thing is don't delay filing even if you're confused about something. You can always call later to clarify details but you need to get that initial claim in. Also make sure you certify for benefits every week even if your claim is still pending - missing a week can mess up your whole timeline.
One more thing - if your claim goes into adjudication (which means they need to verify something about your eligibility), don't panic. It's pretty common and just means they're reviewing your case. It can take a few weeks but as long as you were honestly laid off and not fired for misconduct, you should be fine.
Adjudication just means NYS Department of Labor is reviewing your claim to verify you meet all the eligibility requirements. It's not bad, just a standard review process. They might contact your former employer to confirm the reason for separation. Just be patient and respond promptly to any requests for information.
Whatever you do, make sure you answer all the questions honestly about why you lost your job. If there's any discrepancy between what you say and what your employer reports, your claim could go into adjudication which can delay everything for weeks. I learned this the hard way!
Also make sure you're actively looking for work and keeping track of your job search activities. NYS Department of Labor requires you to search for work and they might ask for documentation of your job search efforts.
The system is so messed up that people have to think about stuff like this just to survive. Your boss sounds awful and you shouldn't have to put up with that treatment just to keep a paycheck.
One more thing - if you do end up getting terminated, make sure you file your unemployment claim immediately and be completely honest about the circumstances. NYS Department of Labor will contact your employer anyway, so any lies will just hurt your case. Document everything that's happening at work now in case you need it later for your claim or a potential appeal.
Wait I'm confused - I thought they used your total annual earnings? My cousin said they look at everything you made in the past year and divide by 52 weeks. That's not right?
Just went through this last month. One thing to watch out for is if you had any gaps in employment or if you're seasonal - that can affect your base period and you might not qualify for the full amount even if your highest quarter looks good. Also make sure all your employers reported your wages correctly because I had to dispute mine when one job didn't report properly.
Angelica Smith
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check on claim status or resolve issues, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really saved me time instead of calling hundreds of times and getting busy signals.
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Zachary Hughes
•how much does that cost? seems like you shouldn't have to pay extra just to talk to them
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Angelica Smith
•I hear you on that frustration, but honestly the time it saved me was worth it. I was spending hours every day trying to get through and this got me connected in minutes.
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Logan Greenburg
They can also deny if you're attending school full-time or not available for full-time work. I made the mistake of mentioning I was taking some evening classes and they questioned my availability. Had to prove the classes didn't interfere with my ability to work standard business hours.
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