Does unemployment benefits affect social security disability payments in NY?
I'm getting confused about whether my NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits will mess with my social security situation. I'm 58 and collecting unemployment after being laid off from my warehouse job in December. My wife keeps saying that UI benefits might affect my future social security retirement benefits when I turn 67. Is this true? I'm also worried because I have a pending SSDI application from a back injury last year - will getting unemployment hurt that application? The NYS Department of Labor website doesn't really explain this stuff clearly.
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Miguel Ramos
Good news - unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor won't affect your future Social Security retirement benefits at all. They're completely separate systems. UI benefits aren't considered earned income for Social Security purposes, so they won't increase or decrease your future monthly payments. However, the SSDI situation is more complicated - you'll need to report your unemployment benefits to Social Security because they may affect your disability determination since you're claiming you can work (for UI) while also claiming you can't work (for SSDI).
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Ava Martinez
•That's a relief about retirement benefits! But now I'm really worried about the SSDI application. Should I stop filing my weekly claims with NYS Department of Labor until the disability case is decided?
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QuantumQuasar
dont stop filing!! i made that mistake and lost like 6 weeks of benefits. you can collect both but you have to report the UI to social security. they might reduce your SSDI payments dollar for dollar but at least youre getting something while waiting
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Ava Martinez
•Did you end up getting approved for both? How did that work out for you?
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QuantumQuasar
•yeah got approved for ssdi but they made me pay back some of the unemployment. was still worth it though cause ssdi took 18 months to get approved
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Zainab Omar
I had a similar situation last year when I was dealing with both NYS Department of Labor and Social Security. The key thing is being honest about your work capacity. For unemployment, you're saying you're able and available to work. For SSDI, you're saying you can't work due to disability. Social Security will want to know how you reconcile that difference. In my case, I explained that my condition was progressive and I was able to work when I applied for unemployment but became unable to work as it worsened. Documentation from your doctors is crucial.
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Ava Martinez
•That makes sense. My back got worse after I was laid off, so maybe I can explain it that way. Did you have to get a lawyer?
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Connor Gallagher
If you're having trouble getting through to Social Security to report your unemployment benefits, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you actually reach agents by phone. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI and their site is claimyr.com. I used them when I couldn't get through to clarify how my NYS Department of Labor benefits would affect my mom's SSI case. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.
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Ava Martinez
•Thanks, I'll check that out. I've been trying to call Social Security for weeks with no luck.
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Yara Sayegh
Wait, I thought you couldn't get unemployment if you were disabled? This is confusing me because my cousin said she couldn't apply for NYS Department of Labor benefits because she was on disability. Are there different rules for different types of disability benefits?
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Miguel Ramos
•Your cousin might be thinking of SSI or already established SSDI benefits. If you're actively receiving SSDI, you generally can't also collect unemployment since SSDI means you can't work. But if you're just applying for SSDI while collecting unemployment, that's a gray area that needs careful handling.
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Keisha Johnson
The whole system is ridiculous if you ask me. You pay into unemployment insurance your whole working life and then they make you jump through hoops about every other benefit. Same with Social Security - you pay in for decades and then they act like they're doing you a favor. At least with NYS Department of Labor you can usually get your benefits without too much hassle, unlike trying to deal with federal agencies.
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