Can you get NYS Department of Labor unemployment if your doctor says you can't work?

This is a tricky situation because regular unemployment benefits require you to be able and available for work. However, you might still qualify if your doctor's restrictions don't prevent you from doing ALL types of work. When you file your weekly claim with NYS Department of Labor, you'll need to certify that you're able and available. If you can do sedentary work like office jobs, customer service, or data entry, you could potentially qualify. The key is whether you're actively seeking work within your medical limitations.

i was in almost the exact same situation last year after a car accident. couldn't do my construction job but could still work other types of jobs. NYS Department of Labor approved my claim but I had to document that I was looking for work I could actually do with my restrictions. took about 3 weeks to get approved because they had to review my case

You need to be really careful here because if NYS Department of Labor finds out later that you weren't truly available for work, they could consider it fraud. I'd suggest calling them directly to explain your situation, but good luck getting through - the phone lines are always busy. I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps people get through to NYS Department of Labor agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Might be worth checking out so you can get proper guidance on your specific medical situation.

The whole system is ridiculous if you ask me!!! Why should someone who gets hurt at work have to jump through all these hoops just to get basic support? You pay into unemployment insurance for years and then when you actually need it they make it impossible to qualify. The NYS Department of Labor rules are so outdated and don't account for real life situations like this.

Wait, if you were injured at work shouldn't you be filing for workers compensation instead of unemployment? I'm confused about which one applies here.

Yeah this happened to my brother too! He hurt his shoulder at his job and couldn't do heavy lifting anymore but his company just laid him off instead of finding him different work. He ended up getting unemployment but had to prove he was looking for office jobs and stuff he could actually do with his injury. Took forever to get approved though.

I went through something similar when I had surgery and couldn't return to my retail job that required standing for long periods. The key thing NYS Department of Labor looks at is whether you're "able and available" for SOME type of work, not necessarily your previous job. Since your doctor cleared you for non-physical work, you should be able to qualify. When you file, be honest about your restrictions but emphasize what you CAN do. Document your job search efforts for positions that fit your medical limitations - remote work, desk jobs, customer service roles, etc. Also definitely look into workers compensation since this was a workplace injury. You might be eligible for both depending on timing and circumstances. The approval process can take a while when there are medical restrictions involved, so file as soon as possible.