Can you get Medicaid while on NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits?

Yes, you can absolutely apply for Medicaid while receiving unemployment benefits! Your weekly UI payments count as income, but New York has pretty generous Medicaid income limits. For a single person in 2025, you can earn up to about $2,200 per month and still qualify. Your $420 weekly ($1,680 monthly) should easily qualify you. Apply through the NY State of Health marketplace online - they'll verify your unemployment income directly with NYS Department of Labor.

i did this last year when i was on unemployment. medicaid approved me in like 2 weeks and covered everything retroactively from when i applied. just make sure you report any changes if your benefits end or you find work

When you apply, you'll need to provide proof of your unemployment income. The easiest way is to log into your my.ny.gov account and download your benefit payment history. You can also use your most recent 1099-G from last year if you received benefits before. The NY State of Health application will ask for monthly income, so multiply your weekly benefit by 4.33 to get the monthly amount they want.

The system is ridiculous though - I had to wait 6 weeks for my Medicaid approval even with unemployment documentation. Meanwhile I'm rationing my prescription medications because I can't afford doctor visits. They say 30 days but it took way longer in my case.

Pro tip: If you're having trouble getting through to ask questions about your Medicaid application status, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach someone at the state benefits office when I couldn't get through on my own. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really saved me hours of trying to call myself.

Just want to add that if you qualify for Medicaid, you might also be eligible for SNAP benefits (food stamps) while on unemployment. The income limits are similar and it's worth applying for both at the same time through the same application.

I went through this exact same situation 6 months ago when I got laid off from my warehouse job. You definitely qualify for Medicaid with $420/week in UI benefits - that's well under the income threshold. The application process was smoother than I expected. One thing I'd recommend is applying ASAP because even though they can cover things retroactively, you don't want to be without coverage if something happens. Also, once you get approved, make sure to keep reporting any income changes to avoid issues later. The peace of mind having health coverage again was worth the paperwork hassle.

I'm in a similar boat - just got laid off from my teaching assistant position and my COBRA costs would be $680/month which I definitely can't afford on unemployment. Reading through these responses is really helpful. One question though - if I apply for Medicaid now while on unemployment, what happens if I find a new job that offers health insurance? Do I need to notify them right away or can I finish out the month? I don't want to accidentally have overlapping coverage issues.

I was in the exact same situation last year after getting laid off from my data entry job. Applied for Medicaid while collecting unemployment and got approved within 3 weeks. The key thing that helped me was gathering all my documentation beforehand - unemployment benefit determination letter, recent payment history from my.ny.gov, and bank statements showing my benefit deposits. Also want to mention that if you have any ongoing prescriptions or medical appointments coming up, mention the urgency when you apply - they can sometimes expedite cases for people with immediate medical needs. The $420 weekly you're getting should definitely qualify you, so don't stress too much about the income part.