Can you do unemployment if you quit your job in New York?
I've been thinking about quitting my job because of hostile work environment issues and was wondering - can you do unemployment if you quit? I know there's something about 'good cause' but I'm not really sure what that means or how to prove it. Has anyone successfully gotten unemployment benefits after quitting? What kind of documentation did you need?
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StarStrider
Yes, you can get unemployment if you quit for 'good cause' but it's not easy to prove. NYS Department of Labor requires substantial evidence that you had no reasonable alternative but to quit. Hostile work environment can qualify if you documented incidents and gave your employer chance to fix the situation first.
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Anastasia Fedorov
•What counts as documentation? I have some emails but nothing formal was ever filed with HR.
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Sean Doyle
my friend quit last year and got approved but she had to go through an appeal process that took forever
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Anastasia Fedorov
•How long did the appeal take? I really can't afford to be without income for months.
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Zara Rashid
The key is proving you made reasonable efforts to resolve the issue before quitting. Save all emails, document incidents with dates and witnesses, and try to address concerns through proper channels first. If you just quit without trying to fix things, NYS Department of Labor will likely deny your claim.
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Luca Romano
•This is so complicated! Why can't they just approve people who had legitimate reasons to quit?
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Nia Jackson
I had major issues getting through to someone at NYS Department of Labor when I was dealing with a similar situation. Kept getting disconnected after waiting hours. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. Saved me so much frustration trying to get answers about my claim.
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Anastasia Fedorov
•Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely check that out if I can't get through the regular way.
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Mateo Hernandez
The unemployment system is rigged against workers anyway. They make it nearly impossible to get benefits even when you have legitimate reasons for leaving. Good luck getting anyone at NYS Department of Labor to actually listen to your situation.
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StarStrider
•While the process can be frustrating, there are successful cases. The key is having proper documentation and understanding the specific requirements for 'good cause' resignation.
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