Can't claim NY unemployment benefits after 32-day job in Florida - still eligible?

You're in what's called a combined wage claim situation. When you work in multiple states, you need to file in the state where you last worked (Florida), but you can include wages from both states. Florida will contact NY to get your wage information, then determine your eligibility and benefit amount based on combined earnings. Call the Florida unemployment office to start this process. Make sure to tell them you had a NY claim before the Florida job.

I had something similar happen but with NJ. You gotta call and talk to a specialist. They can override that interstate error thing. The online system isn't smart enough to handle these edge cases.

I'm dealing with a similar issue!! Worked in Connecticut for 6 weeks then came back to NY. The system is COMPLETELY BROKEN. I've been trying for 3 weeks to get someone on the phone and nothing works. What if we lose our apartments because of this?? Does anyone actually know the RIGHT number to call for this specific problem?? The regular unemployment number just disconnects me after the automated messages.

After struggling with the exact same issue last month, I finally managed to get through to a claims specialist who fixed it for me. I was going crazy trying to call for two weeks straight with no luck. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent within 20 minutes. Worth every penny because the agent fixed my interstate issue on the spot and I got my backpay the following week. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE Just make sure when you do talk to someone, ask specifically for a "combined wage claim specialist" - regular agents will just tell you to keep trying online.

same problem here exept mine was working in pennsylvania for 2 months. been trying to fix it since feburary. finally got someone on the phone yesterday and they said i need to file an "interstate exclusion request" and sent me a form to fill out. haven't heard anything back yet so cant tell you if it works

Wait I don't understand. If you only worked in Florida for a month why would it even affect your NY claim? I thought you need to work somewhere for like 3 months minimum for it to count toward unemployment. The whole system seems designed to just deny people benefits they deserve!

Update for everyone following this thread: For situations like this with short-term out-of-state employment (under 6 weeks), you need to request a "Non-Qualifying Employment Exclusion" from NYSDOL. This requires: 1. Proof of the short duration (termination letter with dates) 2. Evidence you've returned to NY (lease, utility bill, etc.) 3. Form UI-BK-28 (Interstate Wage Exclusion Request) Once processed, they can reinstate your original NY claim as if the out-of-state employment never happened. But you must speak to a Combined Wage Claims specialist at NYSDOL, not a regular claims agent.

My cousin works for unemployment and says they've been swamped with these exact cases since so many people are doing gig work and temp jobs in different states. The system wasn't designed for how people actually work these days.