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The tax thing with unemployment is such BS. Like we're already struggling financially and then they want to tax the measly benefits too. I had to pay back like $600 when I did my taxes because I didn't know about the withholding option.
I had such a hard time getting through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to ask about this same question last month. Spent literally hours on hold and kept getting disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. Might be worth checking out if you need to talk to someone directly about your specific situation.
The whole system is ridiculous tbh. You can't get benefits if you quit even if your boss is making your life hell, but you also can't get benefits if you get fired for pushing back against unfair treatment. It's like they want people to just accept abuse at work. I've been trying to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor for weeks about my own situation and can never get through on the phone.
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone, you might want to try claimyr.com - it's a service that helps you get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I used it when I was stuck in adjudication and finally got to talk to someone who could explain what was holding up my claim.
honestly i never thought about any of this until i got laid off from my retail job. turns out unemployment really does help you focus on finding something better instead of just grabbing whatever minimum wage job you can find immediately. gave me time to do some online training and eventually got a better paying position than what i had before
The purpose is also to protect workers from being exploited. If there was no unemployment insurance, employers could treat workers terribly knowing that people would be desperate to keep any job rather than risk having no income at all. Having that safety net gives workers more bargaining power and helps maintain better working conditions across the economy.
QuantumQuasar
If you're having trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor to discuss your case, I had good luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual agent. They handle the calling and waiting for you, which saved me hours of being on hold. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. It was really helpful for getting clarification on my disqualification before I filed my appeal.
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Ava Martinez
•Thanks, I'll check that out. I've been trying to call for days but can never get through.
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Keisha Jackson
same thing happened to my friend except it turned out she accidentally said something wrong when she filed that made it sound like she quit voluntarily. The good news is that if you have proof you were laid off the appeal process usually works in your favor. just make sure you meet that 30 day deadline!
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