Finally won my unemployment appeal after 6 months - here's what worked
Just got the decision letter yesterday and I can't believe it - I actually won my unemployment appeal! NYS Department of Labor initially denied my claim back in July saying I was fired for misconduct, but the administrative law judge completely overturned their decision. My former employer claimed I violated company policy but I had documentation proving otherwise. The whole process took forever - initial denial, then request for reconsideration which was also denied, then finally the appeal hearing. For anyone going through this nightmare, don't give up. The key was having all my paperwork organized and being able to prove my side of the story. They're releasing all the back pay I should have received plus the ongoing weekly benefits. Has anyone else been through this appeals process? Any advice for others still fighting their denials?
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ShadowHunter
Congratulations! That's a huge relief. The appeals process is so stressful but you're proof it can work. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even if there are delays in processing the back payments. Sometimes there can be glitches in the system when they reinstate benefits after an appeal win.
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Chloe Taylor
•Thanks! Yes, I've been filing weekly claims this whole time even though I wasn't getting paid. My case worker told me to keep doing that to maintain eligibility.
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Diego Ramirez
omg this gives me hope! i've been waiting 4 months for my appeal hearing date and i'm going crazy. did you have a lawyer or represent yourself? also how long did it take to get the actual decision after the hearing?
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Chloe Taylor
•I represented myself but I spent weeks preparing. The hearing was about 3 weeks ago and I got the written decision yesterday. Start gathering every piece of documentation you have now - emails, texts, employee handbook, anything that supports your case.
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Anastasia Sokolov
Did you try calling NYS Department of Labor before filing the appeal? I've been trying to reach someone about my denied claim for weeks but can never get through. The phone system is impossible.
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Sean O'Connor
•I had the same problem trying to reach NYS Department of Labor by phone. Someone on here mentioned a service called Claimyr that helps you get through to actual agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I used it to finally talk to someone about my adjudication issues and it actually worked.
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Anastasia Sokolov
•Never heard of that but at this point I'm willing to try anything. The automated system just hangs up on me every time.
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Zara Ahmed
The NYS Department of Labor appeal system is broken. I've been waiting 8 months for my hearing and still no date scheduled. They approve claims for people who probably don't deserve them but deny legitimate claims left and right. It's all about making their numbers look good rather than actually helping unemployed workers.
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ShadowHunter
•I understand the frustration but the appeals process does work when you have a legitimate case. The delays are definitely a problem though - they really need more administrative law judges to handle the caseload.
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Luca Conti
Awesome news! Quick question - when you get the back pay, is it all in one lump sum or do they spread it out over several weeks? Also do you know if they pay interest on the delayed benefits?
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Chloe Taylor
•The letter says it should come as one payment for all the back weeks, but I haven't received it yet. I don't think they pay interest but I'm not 100% sure about that.
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Noah Torres
This is such an inspiring story! I'm currently dealing with a similar situation - my claim was denied because my employer said I abandoned my job, but I actually resigned due to unsafe working conditions. Reading about your success gives me hope that the appeals process can actually work when you have the evidence to back up your case. Did you have any specific documentation that was particularly helpful in proving your side? I'm trying to gather everything I can before my hearing.
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