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THIS!! The whole unemployment system treats us like we're lazy or trying to scam the system when most of us just want to work and pay our bills. The job search requirements are reasonable but acting like unemployment is a personal moral failing is BS.
The research is pretty clear that unemployment has significant social and economic causes beyond individual factors. Things like geographic job mismatches, skills gaps created by technological change, and cyclical economic downturns all contribute. The NYS Department of Labor's job search requirements are about maintaining work-seeking behavior, not because unemployment is inherently a personal choice.
I was in a similar situation last year and had trouble reaching anyone at NYS Department of Labor to ask questions about my application. The phone lines are always busy and the callback system doesn't work half the time. I ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call myself and I got my questions answered the same day.
One thing to keep in mind is that even though you can file immediately, it might take a few weeks for your claim to be processed and approved. NYS Department of Labor has to verify your employment history and sometimes that takes time. Don't panic if you don't see payments right away. Also make sure you start doing your weekly claims as soon as you're able to - that's how you actually request the money each week.
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO DENY PEOPLE! They look for ANY excuse to not pay benefits. I bet they're using your attendance issues as an excuse even though it has nothing to do with why you lost your job. You need to FIGHT this and appeal immediately!
Just want to add that even if you had some tardiness issues, that usually falls under 'simple misconduct' which might get you a temporary disqualification but not a permanent one. If the store closure was the actual reason you lost your job, you should definitely appeal. Make sure you have documentation about the store closing.
The whole base period system is ridiculous if you ask me. Why can't they just look at your recent earnings like any normal person would expect?? I had to wait months for my claim because they kept saying my base period wages weren't sufficient even though I was making good money at my new job. It's like they WANT to deny people benefits.
Hannah White
I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor agents about a similar system issue last month. Ended up using claimyr.com to get through - they have a service that helps you reach an actual person at the unemployment office. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Super helpful when you need to talk to someone about technical problems.
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Michael Green
•Never heard of that before. Did it actually work for getting through to NYS Department of Labor?
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Hannah White
•Yeah it worked great. I was able to talk to an agent within like 20 minutes instead of calling all day.
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Mateo Silva
The system goes down ALL THE TIME it's so frustrating!! I've missed filing deadlines because of their stupid maintenance windows
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Victoria Jones
•You can still file late claims, you just need to call and explain the technical issue. They usually accept it.
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