Can I collect unemployment while on disability - NYS Department of Labor rules?
I'm currently receiving disability benefits and wondering if I can also file for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor. My doctor says I might be able to do some limited work from home but I'm not sure if that affects my eligibility. Has anyone been in this situation before? I don't want to mess up either benefit by filing incorrectly.
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Malik Robinson
This is actually more complicated than most people think. NYS Department of Labor requires you to be able and available for work to collect UI benefits. If you're on disability, you need to show you can perform some type of work despite your disability. The key is whether your disability prevents you from working entirely or just limits the type of work you can do.
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Emma Taylor
•So if my doctor clears me for remote work only, that might qualify? I was laid off right before my disability started so I'm trying to figure out my options.
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Isabella Silva
wait this doesn't make sense... if ur on disability why would u need unemployment?? isn't disability supposed to replace ur income
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Ravi Choudhury
•Disability payments are often much lower than unemployment benefits. Plus there are different types of disability - some allow part-time work while others don't. The person might be eligible for both if they can show they're available for work within their restrictions.
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CosmosCaptain
OMG I was just dealing with this! NYS Department of Labor made me provide medical documentation showing exactly what work I could and couldn't do. It took forever to get approved but I eventually got my UI benefits while on partial disability. You definitely need to be upfront about your limitations when filing your weekly claims.
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Emma Taylor
•That's encouraging! Did you have to go through adjudication? I'm worried they'll just deny me automatically.
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CosmosCaptain
•Yeah, my claim went into adjudication for about 3 weeks while they reviewed my medical records. Make sure you have everything ready - doctor's notes, work restrictions, the whole thing.
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Freya Johansen
The NYS Department of Labor phone system is impossible when you need to discuss complex situations like this. I spent weeks trying to get through to explain my disability situation. Finally used claimyr.com to actually reach an agent who could review my case properly. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Worth it when you need real answers about eligibility.
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Isabella Silva
•never heard of that but honestly anything is better than sitting on hold for hours just to get hung up on
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Omar Fawzi
Just want to add that you HAVE to report your disability income when filing for unemployment. Don't try to hide it because they will find out and then you'll have overpayment issues on top of everything else. Better to be honest upfront and work through the process correctly.
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