Can I get welfare and unemployment benefits at the same time in NY?
I just lost my job last week and I'm trying to figure out if I can apply for both unemployment through NYS Department of Labor and welfare benefits to help with rent and food. My savings are almost gone and I have two kids to support. Does anyone know if you're allowed to receive both types of assistance simultaneously? I don't want to mess up my unemployment claim by applying for welfare too.
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Elijah Knight
Yes, you can receive both unemployment and welfare benefits in New York. They're administered by different agencies - NYS Department of Labor handles unemployment while DSS handles welfare/SNAP. Just make sure to report your unemployment income when you apply for welfare since it will affect your benefit amount.
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Sophia Carson
•Thank you! That's a relief. Do I need to tell NYS Department of Labor that I'm applying for welfare or do they not care about that?
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Brooklyn Foley
I've been on both before. The welfare office will ask about all your income including unemployment benefits. Your UI payments might reduce your cash assistance but you should still qualify for SNAP and Medicaid. Make sure to keep filing your weekly claims with NYS Department of Labor even while getting welfare.
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Jay Lincoln
•This is correct. The income from unemployment is counted but it usually doesn't disqualify you completely from welfare programs.
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Jessica Suarez
omg yes you can get both! i did this for like 6 months when my hours got cut then i got laid off completely. just be honest about everything
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Marcus Williams
If you're having trouble getting through to either agency, I found this service called Claimyr that helped me reach NYS Department of Labor agents when their phone lines were constantly busy. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really helped when I needed to verify my claim status while also dealing with welfare applications.
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Sophia Carson
•Thanks for the tip! I've been trying to call NYS Department of Labor for three days straight and keep getting the busy signal.
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Lily Young
Just remember that welfare has work requirements too so make sure you're meeting the job search requirements for both programs. NYS Department of Labor requires you to look for work and so does welfare usually.
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Ali Anderson
I went through this exact situation about 8 months ago with two kids as well. You absolutely can get both - I received unemployment from NYS Department of Labor and SNAP/cash assistance from local DSS. The key thing is being completely transparent about your unemployment benefits when you apply for welfare. They'll reduce your cash assistance based on your UI payments, but you'll likely still qualify for SNAP and definitely for Medicaid for you and your kids. Apply for both ASAP since there can be processing delays, especially with welfare applications. Also keep all your documentation organized because both agencies will want proof of everything. Hang in there - the combination of both programs really helped me get through those tough months until I found work again.
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