I had a similar situation last year where I couldn't get through to NYS Department of Labor to check on my claim status after being terminated. The phone lines were always busy and I was getting really anxious about the whole process. A friend told me about this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me actually reach a real person at NYS Department of Labor. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really took the stress out of trying to get answers about my adjudication process.

wait so if you get fired you can still get unemployment? i thought only people who got laid off could get it

If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about any of their determinations, I had success using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I was stuck trying to call for weeks about my adjudication status and this got me through to someone who could explain everything in about 15 minutes.

the whole system is so confusing with all these technical terms. i wish they would just say 'congratulations your claim is approved' instead of 'qualifying separation determination' lol

The unemployment tax system is such a mess. Employers pay different rates depending on how many former employees filed claims against them. New businesses pay a standard rate until they build up an experience rating. Some employers try to fight legitimate claims just to keep their tax rates low. It's ridiculous that the burden falls entirely on employers when employees are the ones who need the benefits.

Just to add - government employees, railroad workers, and agricultural workers under certain thresholds have different rules too. The exempt categories are pretty specific and most regular employees at nonprofits are covered as long as the organization participates in the program.

Just remember you also need to meet the monetary eligibility requirements - you need at least $2,900 in wages in your highest quarter AND total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your high quarter wages. Most people who worked steadily meet this easily but it can trip up people with very irregular work patterns.

One thing that messed me up was not realizing they use GROSS wages before taxes and deductions. I was calculating based on my take-home pay and couldn't figure out why my benefit was higher than expected. Also the partial benefit formula is different if you're working part-time while collecting - they have a whole other calculation for that.

If you're looking for historical NYS Department of Labor data, you might want to try contacting their research division directly. Sometimes getting through to government agencies can be frustrating with long hold times, but there's actually a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps people get connected to NYS Department of Labor representatives more efficiently. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Might be worth trying if you need to speak with someone about accessing historical unemployment records.

The whole situation in 1938 was basically caused by FDR trying to balance the budget too early and cutting New Deal spending. Plus there were major strikes in key industries. It shows how fragile economic recovery can be and why sustained support is important during unemployment crises.