Can you reapply for unemployment benefits after your claim expires in NYS?
My unemployment claim ran out about 6 months ago and I've been struggling to find steady work since then. I had a part-time job for a few weeks but got laid off again last month. Can you reapply for unemployment benefits with NYS Department of Labor after your benefit year ends? I'm not sure if I need to file a whole new claim or if there's a different process. Has anyone been through this situation before?
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Wesley Hallow
Yes, you can definitely reapply! Since your benefit year ended more than a year ago, you'll need to file a completely new initial claim through the NYS Department of Labor website. You can't just reopen your old claim - it has to be a fresh application. Make sure you have all your recent employment information ready, especially from that part-time job you mentioned.
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Kennedy Morrison
•Thank you! Do I need to wait a certain amount of time between claims or can I apply right away?
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Justin Chang
i think you have to have worked a certain number of weeks to qualify again but im not 100% sure on the exact requirements
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Grace Thomas
The key requirement is that you need sufficient wages in your new base period to establish a valid claim. NYS Department of Labor will look at your earnings from the last 18 months to determine if you qualify. Since you worked that part-time job recently, those wages should count toward your eligibility. You'll also need to meet the job search requirements again once your claim is active.
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Hunter Brighton
•What if the wages from the part-time job aren't enough to qualify? Can they use wages from before the previous claim?
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Grace Thomas
•NYS Department of Labor can't use wages that were already counted in a previous benefit year. The wages have to be from work performed after your last claim started. If you don't have enough qualifying wages, you might need to work more before reapplying.
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Dylan Baskin
I was in this exact situation last year and had so much trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask questions about reapplying. The phone lines are always busy and the online chat never worked for me. I ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected to an actual agent who walked me through the whole reapplication process. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me weeks of frustration trying to get answers.
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Lauren Wood
•Never heard of that service before. Did it actually work to get you through?
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Dylan Baskin
•Yeah it worked great. I was able to talk to a real NYS Department of Labor person within like 20 minutes instead of calling dozens of times and getting busy signals.
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Ellie Lopez
Just make sure when you reapply that you report ALL your work history correctly including that part time job. NYS Department of Labor is really strict about people not reporting wages properly and you dont want them to think you're trying to hide anything
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Lauren Wood
this whole system is so confusing why cant they just make it simple to understand when you can reapply and what you need
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Wesley Hallow
•I agree the system could be clearer, but the basic rule is pretty straightforward - you can file a new claim anytime after your benefit year ends as long as you have qualifying wages from work you did after your previous claim started.
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Edwards Hugo
I went through this same process about 8 months ago when my original claim expired. The application itself is pretty straightforward on the NY.gov website, but definitely gather all your employment documents first - W-2s, pay stubs, and exact dates of employment. One thing that caught me off guard was that they asked for really specific information about why I left each job, so have those details ready. The whole process took about 2 weeks from application to getting my first payment. Good luck!
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Isaiah Cross
•Thanks for sharing your experience! That's really helpful to know about the specific job separation details they ask for. I'm curious - did you have any issues with the wage verification process? I'm a bit worried they might not be able to verify my part-time job wages since it was such a small employer.
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