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I had the same issue with getting through to someone when I had questions about my application. Spent hours on hold with NYS Department of Labor. Found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually gets you connected to a real person at the unemployment office without all the waiting. They have a video demo showing exactly how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. Saved me so much time when I needed to clarify some details about my application.
The NYS Department of Labor is ALWAYS overwhelmed and slow!! Doesn't matter if unemployment is high or low, they find ways to make simple claims take FOREVER. My adjudication took 6 weeks last time and that was during good economic times. The system is just broken.
just to add my 2 cents - the $504 max hasnt changed much in recent years which is frustrating when everything else costs more. my cousin in california gets way more than that for unemployment
Check if your local grocery stores cash checks - some do it for free if you're buying groceries at the same time. Also credit unions are usually cheaper than banks if you need to open an account.
Natalie Adams
wait so what if you work gig jobs or are self employed? still covered?
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Jordan Walker
Independent contractors and gig workers typically aren't covered under regular unemployment insurance. You'd need to look into other programs. Traditional employees at most companies are automatically covered though - that's the mandatory part the original poster was asking about.
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