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Just to add - if you're seeing news about unemployment percentages going up, that might actually mean MORE competition for jobs which could affect your job search requirements. NYS Department of Labor requires you to make 3 job contacts per week and document them in your work search log.
This whole system is so confusing! Why can't they just tell us this stuff upfront instead of making us guess about everything??
Ugh dealing with NYS Department of Labor is such a nightmare. I've been trying to get through to someone for WEEKS about my claim that's stuck in adjudication and their phone lines are always busy. The whole system is broken.
One thing they don't tell you upfront is that unemployment benefits are taxable income. You can choose to have taxes withheld or you'll owe at tax time. Also if you work part-time while collecting, your benefits get reduced but you might still qualify for partial payments.
The whole system is rigged against workers. Employers know most people can't afford to fight these contests so they just lie and hope you give up. I've seen companies claim 'misconduct' for everything from being 5 minutes late to disagreeing with management. It's disgusting.
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check on your adjudication status, I used a service called Claimyr that helped me reach an actual agent. You can check them out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I was stuck trying to call for weeks and they got me through to someone who could explain exactly what documentation the employer had submitted and what I needed to provide for my defense.
The whole misconduct thing is so subjective it's ridiculous. I've seen people get denied for the most minor stuff while others who actually deserved to be fired somehow get approved. The system is a joke and employers know they can just claim misconduct for anything and make you jump through hoops to prove otherwise.
Joshua Wood
DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! I cannot stress this enough. NYS Department of Labor will scrutinize voluntary quits very carefully. Get doctor's notes, save those emails, maybe even consider filing a complaint with your state labor department about the working conditions first. The more paper trail you have showing the employer created an unsafe or unreasonable work environment, the better your chances.
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Justin Evans
same boat here... my job is killing me slowly but i'm terrified to quit without something else lined up. this whole system is so backwards - they expect us to stay in jobs that are literally making us sick
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Ryan Young
•I understand the frustration, but the system does try to balance protecting workers from truly harmful conditions while preventing people from just quitting any job they don't like and collecting benefits. The documentation requirement helps prove legitimate cases.
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