How is unemployment determined by NYS Department of Labor - confused about qualification process
I'm really confused about how the NYS Department of Labor actually determines if someone qualifies for unemployment benefits. I lost my job last month and filed a claim but I'm not sure what they're looking for when they review it. Do they just check if I was fired or laid off? What about my work history - how far back do they look? I've been working for about 8 years but changed jobs a few times. Also wondering about the whole adjudication thing - my claim is showing that status right now and I have no idea what they're investigating. Can someone explain how this whole determination process actually works?
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Chloe Anderson
The NYS Department of Labor looks at several factors when determining eligibility. First, they verify your reason for separation - whether you were laid off, fired for misconduct, or quit voluntarily. They also check your base period earnings (usually the first 4 quarters of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed). You need to have earned at least $2,700 in your base period and worked in at least 2 quarters. The adjudication process reviews any issues that might affect your eligibility, like disputes about why you left your job.
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Omar Fawaz
•Thanks! So if I was laid off due to budget cuts that should be straightforward right? And what's this base period thing - does that mean they only look at certain months of my work history?
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Diego Vargas
Yeah budget cuts usually qualify you no problem. For the base period, they look at your wages from specific quarters. Like if you filed in January 2025, they'd probably look at July 2023 through June 2024. You can check your wage history on the my.ny.gov portal to see what quarters they're using for your claim.
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Anastasia Fedorov
•Wait I'm confused - why wouldn't they look at more recent work? That seems backwards to not count the job I just lost...
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Diego Vargas
•It's because employers need time to report wages to the state. There's usually a lag in the system. Sometimes you can request an alternate base period if your recent wages aren't showing up.
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StarStrider
honestly the whole system is confusing and they dont explain anything clearly. ive been waiting 3 weeks for my adjudication to finish and nobody can tell me whats taking so long or what theyre even looking at
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Chloe Anderson
•If you're having trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor about your adjudication status, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps people get through to agents when the regular phone lines are jammed. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Might be worth checking out if you need answers about what's holding up your claim.
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StarStrider
•never heard of that but at this point im willing to try anything. the regular phone number just hangs up on me after an hour wait
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Sean Doyle
The determination process also includes checking if you're able and available to work. You have to be actively looking for work and document your job search activities. Plus they verify you're not receiving other income like severance or vacation pay that might affect your benefits.
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Omar Fawaz
•Good point about the job search requirement. How many jobs do I need to apply to each week to stay compliant?
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Sean Doyle
•You need to make 3 work search contacts per week. These can be job applications, networking contacts, or attending job fairs. Keep detailed records because they can audit your job search log at any time.
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Zara Rashid
ugh this whole process is such a nightmare, between figuring out if you qualify and then actually getting through to someone when there are problems... at least your situation sounds pretty straightforward with the layoff though
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