Can you collect unemployment while pregnant in New York - NYS Department of Labor eligibility?

Yes, you absolutely can collect unemployment while pregnant in New York! Being pregnant doesn't disqualify you from benefits as long as you meet the standard requirements - you must be able and available to work, actively seeking employment, and have lost your job through no fault of your own. The key is that you need to be physically able to perform work and actively job searching. NYS Department of Labor cannot discriminate based on pregnancy status.

I was pregnant with my second child when I filed for UI benefits last year after getting laid off. NYS Department of Labor approved my claim without any issues. Just make sure you're honest about being able and available for work on your weekly claims. The only time pregnancy might affect your benefits is if you become unable to work due to medical complications, but even then you might qualify for disability benefits instead.

honestly the hardest part for me was job searching while pregnant because some employers definitely discriminate even though they're not supposed to. but as far as NYS Department of Labor goes they don't care about your pregnancy status at all

I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor when I needed to ask about this exact situation last year. Kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold forever. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual agent in like 10 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Totally worth it when you need real answers about your specific case instead of just guessing from websites.

The system is so messed up anyway, they probably won't even notice you're pregnant unless you tell them lol. Just keep filing your weekly claims and looking for work like anyone else would.

I went through this exact situation two years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter. NYS Department of Labor was actually really straightforward about it - they don't ask about pregnancy status during the application process, and as long as you can honestly answer "yes" to being able and available for work, you're good to go. The weekly certification questions are pretty standard too. Just make sure you're actively applying to jobs and keeping records of your job search activities. I collected benefits for about 3 months before finding a new position, and pregnancy never came up as an issue. You've got enough to worry about right now, so don't stress about this part!

I'm currently going through this same situation right now - 4 months pregnant and just started collecting unemployment after my restaurant job closed down. The application process was honestly pretty straightforward, and being pregnant never came up as an issue with NYS Department of Labor. The weekly certification is just the standard questions about being able to work and looking for jobs. I've been approved for 8 weeks so far without any problems. The job search part is definitely harder though - I'm starting to show and some employers seem hesitant during interviews, but that's their problem, not the state's. Just be honest about your ability to work and keep detailed records of your job applications. You'll be fine!

I just wanted to add my experience as someone who collected unemployment while pregnant in NY about 6 months ago. The process was really smooth - I filed online and never had to mention my pregnancy status anywhere in the application. The key thing is just being honest about your ability and availability to work on the weekly certifications. I was able to collect benefits for about 4 months while job searching, and NYS Department of Labor never questioned anything pregnancy-related. The hardest part was definitely dealing with employer bias during interviews once I started showing, but that's a separate issue from getting your benefits approved. Keep good records of your job search activities and you should be all set. Wishing you the best with everything!