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Just make sure you show up on time and dress professionally even if it's by phone. I almost missed mine because I thought it was the next day. Also they record everything so don't ramble or get emotional even if the employer's lawyer says stuff that makes you mad.
omg yes this!! i had to do an appeal too and it was SO stressful but i won! the main thing is dont let them make you feel bad about quitting. if your boss was really harassing you then you had good cause period. i wish i had saved more evidence though so definitely try to get those HR records if you can
To answer your follow-up question - yes, you need to continue your job search even while working reduced hours. You'll report your earnings when you file your weekly claims, and NYS Department of Labor will calculate your partial benefit amount. If you're having trouble getting through to them for specific questions about your situation, I recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps people actually reach unemployment agents by phone. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.
This reminds me of when my cousin worked at a store that kept her on just to stand around during slow seasons. She called it 'fake work' but hey, she got partial benefits for months while looking for something better. The disguised unemployment thing is more about economic theory - in practice, if you're getting paid for hours, report those hours. NYS Department of Labor has seen it all.
Did you report all your income correctly when you filed? Sometimes if you had multiple jobs or didn't report tips properly it can affect your base period wages. Also make sure NYS Department of Labor has your complete work history - sometimes employers don't report wages correctly to the state.
I did report my tips but maybe not all of them since we got cash tips too. Could that be why my amount is so low?
The calculation is confusing but there's also something called the alternative base period if your regular base period doesn't give you enough. You might want to ask about that when you contact them. Also double check that they have all your employers listed correctly - I had an issue where one of my jobs wasn't showing up and it increased my benefit amount once they added it.
Miguel Hernández
The whole system is so unnecessarily complicated! Like why do we need federal AND state taxes for unemployment? Just make it simple for crying out loud. No wonder people get confused about what affects what.
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Sasha Ivanov
totally agree with the confusion! when i first filed i thought all unemployment money came from the federal government lol. had to learn the hard way that each state runs its own program
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