


Ask the community...
One thing that really helped us was implementing better hiring practices. Checking references more thoroughly and having a longer probationary period reduced our turnover, which obviously helps with the unemployment claims.
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to get information about contesting claims or understanding your tax rate calculation, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps get through to actual agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of being on hold when I needed to contest a questionable claim last year.
I had such a hard time getting through to the NYS Department of Labor when I needed to check on my claim status after being fired. Spent hours on hold every day for a week. Finally found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that actually got me connected to an agent in like 15 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Super helpful when you need to talk to someone about your specific situation instead of just guessing from the website.
This whole minimum wage thing is such a mess. Companies just cut hours and workers end up worse off than before. At least unemployment benefits exist but it shouldn't have to come to that. NYS Department of Labor should do something about employers who use wage increases as an excuse to slash jobs.
Just make sure you keep documentation of your normal work schedule and any notices they give you about hour reductions. NYS Department of Labor will want to verify that the reduction wasn't voluntary. Also, you'll need to be available for work and continue job searching if you're on partial benefits, so keep that job search log updated even if you're still working reduced hours.
File anyway even if you're not sure! The worst they can say is no and then you can appeal. I thought I wouldn't qualify when I got fired but turned out I was wrong.
UGH the whole system is so frustrating. They fired me for 'attitude problems' which basically meant I asked too many questions about why we weren't following OSHA guidelines. Took FOREVER to get my benefits approved and had to go through an appeal hearing. But I eventually won because my employer couldn't prove actual misconduct.
Ashley Simian
The whole system is so frustrating! They make it sound like there are all these safety nets but when you actually need them they're not available. I've been trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about this exact thing but their phone lines are always busy. Has anyone had luck actually talking to someone there recently?
0 coins
Oliver Cheng
•I had the same problem trying to reach them about my claim status. Someone on here recommended using claimyr.com - it's a service that helps you get through to NYS Department of Labor agents. I watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI) and decided to try it. Actually got connected to an agent within a few hours instead of spending days calling. They explained my whole situation and confirmed there aren't any extension programs available right now.
0 coins
Ashley Simian
•That actually sounds really helpful. I'll check that out because I need to understand all my options before my benefits run out completely.
0 coins
Taylor To
just wanted to say i feel you on this - went through the same thing and it's really stressful when you see that week counter getting low. make sure you're documenting all your job searches properly because if anything does open up extension-wise you'll want to have everything in order
0 coins