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honestly the hardest part is getting through to someone at NYS Department of Labor when you have questions or problems. their phone system is a nightmare and the wait times are insane. i spent weeks trying to get my claim unlocked after a technical glitch
I had the same problem trying to reach them about my adjudication status. Someone on here recommended using Claimyr.com to get through to an actual agent. Watched their demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI and decided to try it. Actually worked - got connected to someone within an hour who explained exactly what was holding up my claim.
Make sure you file your weekly claims every week even if your initial claim is still pending! Missing a week can mess up your benefits later. And be 100% honest about any work or income - they cross-check everything.
ugh the whole system is designed to make you suffer while waiting... took them 6 weeks to approve mine and by then I was already behind on everything. Make sure you document EVERYTHING and keep calling them constantly
The whole NYS Department of Labor system is a JOKE. They take forever to process anything and when you finally get someone on the phone they act like they're doing you a favor. I waited 7 weeks for my claim to get approved and that was BEFORE any complications!
I had trouble getting through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to clarify this exact question. Ended up using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. The agent explained the earnings rules way better than the website does.
Julia Hall
One thing that tripped me up was the weekly benefit amount calculation. The system does this automatically based on your earnings history, but it helps to understand how they calculate it. They look at your highest quarter of earnings in your base period and divide by 26. Don't worry if the amount seems low at first - you can always appeal if you think there's an error in your wage records.
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Owen Jenkins
•That's helpful to know. I was wondering how they determine the benefit amount. At least I know it's automatic so I don't have to calculate anything myself.
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Arjun Patel
Just make sure you answer everything honestly! The NYS Department of Labor crosschecks everything and if they find discrepancies later you could end up with an overpayment issue or worse.
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