Can you file unemployment if you quit your job - NYS Department of Labor eligibility question

You can potentially qualify for unemployment benefits even if you quit, but only if you had 'good cause' for leaving. NYS Department of Labor considers things like harassment, unsafe working conditions, or significant changes to your job terms as good cause. When you file your claim, you'll need to explain in detail why you quit and provide any documentation you have about the hostile work environment.

i quit my job last year and got denied at first but then appealed it and won. you have to prove that staying would have been unreasonable. the key is being very specific about what happened and why you had no other choice

The biggest issue you'll face is that NYS Department of Labor will likely schedule an adjudication hearing to determine if your reason for quitting qualifies as good cause. This can take several weeks to resolve. In the meantime, I'd recommend documenting everything you remember about the hostile work environment - dates, witnesses, specific incidents. If you're having trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor to discuss your case, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works.

This whole system is ridiculous! You shouldn't have to prove why you quit an abusive job. The fact that they make you go through adjudication and appeals just to get benefits you paid into is insane. NYS Department of Labor acts like they're doing you a favor instead of providing what you're entitled to.

File anyway and see what happens. Worst case they deny you but at least you tried.

I went through something similar when I quit my job at a warehouse. The supervisor was making sexual comments and creating an uncomfortable environment. I filed for unemployment and had to go through the whole adjudication process, but I eventually got approved. The key was having specific examples and being able to show I tried to address the issue with HR first. NYS Department of Labor wants to see you made reasonable efforts to resolve the situation before quitting.