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honestly the whole system is set up to make you feel guilty about filing when you shouldnt. employers know this is part of doing business when they hire people. dont let them guilt trip you into not filing if you deserve benefits
This reminds me when I was worried about the same thing back in 2019. Turned out my employer actually encouraged me to file because they knew I was eligible and it didn't directly cost them anything. Some employers even help with the paperwork because they want to make sure everything is documented properly for their own records.
ugh this whole system is so messed up... employers can just challenge legitimate claims and make people stress about losing benefits they rightfully earned. happened to my sister too when her hotel laid off half the housekeeping staff but they tried to claim she was fired for performance issues. total BS.
Don't stress too much about this. In my experience, most employer appeals fail when it's clearly a layoff situation. NYS Department of Labor investigators are pretty good at seeing through bogus appeals. Just make sure you respond to any requests for information promptly and honestly. If they schedule a hearing, show up prepared with your documentation and be ready to explain exactly what happened with the layoff.
definitely file asap! i made the mistake of waiting like 2 weeks thinking i needed to 'settle in' to being unemployed first and totally screwed myself out of those benefits. you cant backdate claims in NY so every day you wait is money lost
same boat as OP, got let go last month and filed immediately. one thing they dont tell you is that even after you file youll probably have to wait for them to verify everything with your employer. took about 10 days before my weekly claims were actually payable. but yeah definitely dont wait to file the initial claim
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO TRIP YOU UP!!! They ask these confusing questions hoping you'll mess up so they can deny your claim. I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for months and every week there's some new hoop to jump through. Just keep fighting and don't let them intimidate you!
Muhammad Hobbs
Just so you know, once you file your initial claim you'll need to certify for benefits every week by filing your weekly claim. Don't forget to do this even while your claim is being processed or you could lose benefits for those weeks.
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Noland Curtis
Make sure you understand the job search requirements too! NYS Department of Labor requires you to make work search contacts each week and keep a log. The requirements changed recently so don't assume you know what they are if you've filed before.
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Heather Tyson
•How many job search contacts do I need to make per week? And what counts as a valid contact?
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