Can you get temporary unemployment for maternity leave in NYS?
I'm 7 months pregnant and trying to figure out if I can get any unemployment benefits during maternity leave. My job doesn't offer paid maternity leave and I can't afford to take unpopular time off without any income. I've heard conflicting information about whether NYS Department of Labor covers this situation. Has anyone successfully gotten unemployment benefits while on maternity leave? I'm really confused about the rules and what I need to do to qualify.
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Ella Lewis
Unfortunately, regular unemployment insurance through NYS Department of Labor doesn't cover maternity leave situations. UI benefits are for people who are able and available to work, and being on maternity leave means you're temporarily unable to work. However, you might qualify for New York State Disability Insurance or Paid Family Leave benefits instead. These are separate programs from unemployment that specifically cover situations like pregnancy and bonding with a new child.
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Hunter Edmunds
•Thank you! I had no idea these were separate programs. Do you know if I apply through the same NYS Department of Labor website or is it different?
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Andrew Pinnock
wait i thought you could get unemployment if you quit for good cause? isnt pregnancy a good cause reason to quit
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Brianna Schmidt
•No, pregnancy alone isn't considered good cause for quitting that would make you eligible for unemployment. You'd need to show that continuing to work would be harmful or that your employer refused reasonable accommodations. Plus even if you quit for good cause, you still have to be able and available for work to get UI benefits.
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Alexis Renard
I went through this exact situation last year! The NYS Department of Labor unemployment office told me I couldn't get regular UI benefits but I did get approved for disability benefits through my employer's insurance. You should also look into the Paid Family Leave program - it covers up to 12 weeks at partial pay for bonding with your baby. The application process was way less complicated than I expected.
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Hunter Edmunds
•That's so helpful to know! How long did the approval process take for the disability benefits?
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Alexis Renard
•It took about 3 weeks from when I submitted all the paperwork. Make sure you get the medical certification from your doctor early because that was the part that took the longest.
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Camila Jordan
I had a really hard time getting through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor to even ask about this stuff. Spent weeks calling and getting disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me actually reach a live agent who could explain all the different benefit programs. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Made the whole process so much easier than trying to navigate the phone system myself.
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Tyler Lefleur
•interesting, never heard of that service before. did it actually work for you?
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Camila Jordan
•Yeah it did! Got connected to an agent within like 20 minutes instead of calling for days. They were able to explain exactly which programs I qualified for and which ones I didn't.
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Madeline Blaze
Just want to add that even though you cant get unemployment for maternity leave, if you lose your job while pregnant (like layoffs or company closure) you CAN still get regular UI benefits as long as you're able to work. I was 6 months pregnant when I got laid off and NYS Department of Labor approved my claim no problem. The key is being able and available for work.
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