The NYS Department of Labor will look at whether you willfully violated company policy or if there were circumstances beyond your control. Health issues that prevent you from working are usually considered beyond your control. Make sure you have documentation ready in case they request it during the adjudication process. Also keep doing your job search activities while you wait for the decision on your claim.

I went through something similar - was discharged for attendance issues related to a chronic condition. The NYS Department of Labor approved my claim because I was able to show that my absences were health-related and not willful misconduct. Key things that helped me: 1) I was honest about the discharge reason when filing, 2) I had medical documentation ready (even partial records help), and 3) I emphasized that I intended to return to work and wasn't abandoning the job. The adjudication took about 4-5 weeks but it was worth the wait. Don't let the discharge discourage you from applying - you have a good chance of approval given the medical circumstances.

The whole system is messed up if you ask me. Self employed people pay taxes but get no unemployment protection. Meanwhile people who worked traditional jobs get benefits. Makes no sense!

Ryan, definitely try applying if you had that W2 income from the community college teaching job! The key is whether you earned enough in covered wages during your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 quarters). Even if your photography business was your main income, those W2 wages could make you eligible. The worst they can do is deny you, but you might be surprised. Just make sure when you apply that you focus on the loss of your teaching work rather than the photography business decline, since only the W2 employment counts toward eligibility.

ny unemployment stay making everything complicated asf. but yea just file now and worry about the details later

Been through this exact situation! File immediately - don't wait for the severance to end. When you're doing your weekly certification, just report the severance payments honestly. The system will automatically calculate how it affects your benefits. The key thing is getting your claim date established ASAP because that's when your benefit year starts. Even if you don't get payments right away due to severance, you'll be in the system and ready to go once it runs out.

The NYS Department of Labor job search requirement is such a hassle! I understand why they need it but having to track everything when you're already stressed about being unemployed is frustrating. At least they don't make you submit it every week like some states do.

I've been using a simple Google Doc to track my job search activities and it works great! I set up columns for date, company name, position, contact method, and any follow-up actions needed. Since it's in the cloud I can access it from anywhere and it's easy to search if I need to find something specific. The key is being consistent about logging everything right after you do it - don't wait until the end of the week or you'll forget details.

I've been getting my unemployment benefits for about 6 months now and I can confirm what others are saying - it's typically Wednesday morning between 3-6 AM on the KeyBank card. The timing can vary a bit depending on bank processing, but Wednesday is pretty consistent as long as you certify by Monday evening. One tip: if you have the KeyBank Way2Go mobile app, you can set up notifications so you'll get an alert as soon as the deposit hits your account. That way you don't have to keep checking manually!

I've been collecting unemployment for about 4 months now and can share my experience with timing. For the KeyBank Way2Go card, I usually see my deposit hit between 2-4 AM on Wednesday morning, but I've had it come as late as 8 AM a few times. The key thing is making sure you certify by Monday evening - if you wait until Tuesday, it might delay your payment by a day. Also, keep in mind that if there are any banking holidays or system maintenance, it could push the deposit to Thursday. I'd recommend checking your my.ny.gov account to make sure your weekly claim shows as "processed" - that's usually a good indicator that the payment is on its way.