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THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO DENY BENEFITS! They make it so confusing on purpose. I got denied even though I worked for 2 years because they said I didn't earn enough in the right quarters. Make sure you understand their base period calculation or you'll get screwed like I did.
Just went through this myself. The main thing is being unemployed through no fault of your own. Economic layoffs, company closures, end of seasonal work all qualify. Getting fired for poor performance might still qualify but misconduct like stealing or violating company policy usually doesn't. Your 18 months should be plenty for the earnings requirement.
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor for specific data requests, you might want to try claimyr.com - they have a service that helps people actually reach live agents at unemployment offices. Sometimes the research departments can point you to data that's not easily found online. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.
Interesting, I hadn't thought about calling them directly. Do you think they'd actually have someone who could help with historical statistics requests?
I had so much trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor when they flagged my claim for review. Kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that calls them for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me weeks of frustration trying to get answers about my disqualification.
The whole system is designed to deny as many people as possible! They'll find any excuse - didn't file your weekly claim on the exact right day, missed one job search contact, anything. It's all about saving the state money.
The Commissioner is Roberta Reardon but she's not going to handle individual claims obviously. For your situation, the Claims Division handles weekly certifications and the Adjudication Unit reviews flagged claims. If your claims are being held up, there's probably a work search requirement issue or they need additional verification.
Yara Sayegh
dont forget u also have to do the job search thing every week to keep getting benefits. its like 3 job contacts per week i think? they changed the requirements recently
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StarSeeker
•Yes, the work search requirement is back to 3 contacts per week for most claimants. You need to keep a log of your job search activities and be prepared to provide details if requested during an audit.
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NebulaNova
The whole system is so confusing! I got approved but my first payment was less than what they said my weekly rate would be. Turns out they deducted taxes and I didn't realize that was optional. Make sure you understand all the deductions before you get your first check.
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