How do you qualify for unemployment benefits - NYS Department of Labor requirements unclear
I'm trying to figure out if I qualify for unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor but their website is confusing me. I worked for 18 months at a restaurant that closed down last month due to the owner retiring. I made about $28,000 last year but I'm not sure if that's enough to meet their wage requirements. Also, I'm available to work but I don't have a car right now so I can only take jobs within walking distance or on the bus line. Does that affect my eligibility? What exactly are the qualification requirements for unemployment in New York?
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CyberSamurai
For NYS unemployment eligibility, you need to meet both monetary and non-monetary requirements. Monetary means you earned enough wages in your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters). You need at least $2,600 in one quarter and total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter. With $28,000 last year, you should easily meet this. Non-monetary means you're unemployed through no fault of your own (restaurant closing qualifies), able to work, available for work, and actively seeking employment. Transportation limitations can be tricky - you need to be available for suitable work in your area.
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Andre Dubois
•Thanks! So the $28,000 should be enough? I'm worried because some of that was tip money that might not have been reported properly by my employer.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
i qualified with way less money than that so you should be fine. the transportation thing might be an issue though, they expect you to have reliable transportation to work
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Jamal Carter
The transportation issue isn't necessarily disqualifying. You just need to restrict your job search to positions you can reasonably get to. Document your job search efforts for positions within your transportation range and you should be okay. Make sure to file your weekly claims on time and report any work or income accurately. Also, you'll need to register with the job search system and do the required work search activities.
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Mei Liu
•What if the bus system here is terrible and there really aren't many jobs I can get to? Will NYS Department of Labor understand that?
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Jamal Carter
•They'll evaluate your specific situation. As long as you're genuinely looking for work within your reasonable commuting area and documenting your efforts, you should be fine. Rural areas typically have more flexibility on transportation requirements.
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Liam O'Donnell
I had the same transportation problem when I lost my job last year. Couldn't get through to NYS Department of Labor for weeks to ask about it, kept getting busy signals or disconnected. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. The agent was able to clarify that my situation was acceptable as long as I was actively looking for work I could realistically get to.
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Andre Dubois
•That's helpful to know there's a way to actually talk to someone! I was dreading trying to call them.
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Amara Nwosu
The system is set up to deny people benefits whenever possible!! They'll find ANY excuse to disqualify you. The transportation thing will definitely be used against you, mark my words. I've been fighting with NYS Department of Labor for months over my claim.
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AstroExplorer
•That's not really true... I got approved pretty easily when I qualified. Most people who follow the rules don't have major problems.
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