Can you apply for unemployment if you quit your job - NYS Department of Labor eligibility question
I've been working at a retail store for 8 months but the management has gotten really toxic lately. My manager keeps changing my schedule without notice and I'm getting written up for things that aren't my fault. I'm thinking about quitting but I need the income. Can you apply for unemployment if you quit your job in New York? I've heard mixed things about whether NYS Department of Labor will approve benefits if you voluntarily leave. Has anyone been in this situation before?
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Amelia Cartwright
Generally, if you quit your job voluntarily, you won't qualify for unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor. However, there are some exceptions called 'good cause' reasons. These include unsafe working conditions, harassment, significant changes to your job duties or pay, or health issues. You'd need to document everything and prove your employer created conditions that forced you to quit.
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Royal_GM_Mark
•What kind of documentation would I need? I don't have anything in writing about the schedule changes, just text messages from my manager.
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Chris King
I quit my job last year because of harassment and got approved for UI benefits after an appeal. It took forever though - like 6 weeks of adjudication. You really need to have evidence that you tried to resolve the issues with your employer first.
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Royal_GM_Mark
•Did you have to go through a hearing or was it just paperwork? I'm worried about having to face my old manager in some kind of proceeding.
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Chris King
•Just had a phone hearing with an administrative law judge. My manager didn't even show up so it was just me explaining my side. Make sure to save those text messages - they're evidence!
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Rachel Clark
Before you quit, try to get some documentation. Send an email to HR or your manager about the scheduling issues and keep their responses. If they don't respond, that's documentation too. NYS Department of Labor wants to see you made an effort to fix things before leaving.
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Zachary Hughes
•This is solid advice. I had to go through something similar and the adjudication officer specifically asked what I did to try to resolve the problems before quitting.
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Mia Alvarez
honestly the whole system is messed up, they make it so hard to get benefits even when you have legit reasons for leaving. took me 3 months to get approved and by then i already found another job
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Carter Holmes
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about your specific situation, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me actually talk to someone. They have this video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on. Might be worth checking out if you need to discuss the details of your case with an actual agent.
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Royal_GM_Mark
•Thanks, I'll look into that. The phone lines are always busy when I try to call.
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Sophia Long
Just want to add - even if you don't qualify initially, you can always appeal the decision. A lot of people give up after the first denial but the appeal process exists for a reason. Document everything and don't be afraid to fight for your benefits if you truly had good cause to quit.
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Nia Wilson
I was in a similar situation about a year ago - toxic manager, constantly changing schedules, and feeling like I was being set up to fail. What helped me was keeping a detailed log of every incident with dates and times. I also started responding to my manager's schedule change texts with something like "Just confirming you're changing my schedule from X to Y with less than 24 hours notice" to create a paper trail. When I finally did quit and applied for UI, having that documentation made all the difference. The key is showing a pattern of unreasonable behavior from your employer that would make any reasonable person quit. Don't just quit impulsively - build your case first if you can.
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Liam McGuire
This is really helpful advice from everyone. I'm dealing with something similar - my supervisor has been making the workplace unbearable with constant criticism and unrealistic expectations. From what I'm reading here, it sounds like the key is documentation and showing you tried to resolve things first. @Nia Wilson, your approach of creating a paper trail through confirming texts is brilliant. I'm going to start doing that too. Has anyone had experience with filing a complaint with HR before quitting? I'm wondering if that would help strengthen a case for "good cause" or if it might just make things worse at work.
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Jessica Nolan
•@Liam McGuire Filing an HR complaint can definitely help your case, but you re'right to be cautious about timing. In my experience, it s'a double-edged sword - it creates official documentation that you tried to resolve the issues through proper channels which (NYS DOL loves to see ,)but it can also make your work environment even more hostile if HR doesn t'handle it well. I d'suggest documenting the current issues first, then filing the complaint, and keeping records of how your employer responds. If they retaliate or fail to address the problems, that actually strengthens your good "cause argument." Just make sure you re'prepared for things to potentially get worse before they get better, and have your exit strategy ready if needed.
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