How long is the protest period for unemployment benefits in NYS?
I just got a determination letter from NYS Department of Labor about my unemployment claim and it mentions something about a protest period. The letter isn't super clear about exactly how long I have to file a protest if I disagree with their decision. Does anyone know the specific timeframe? I want to make sure I don't miss any deadlines since this affects whether I can get benefits or not.
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Brady Clean
You have 30 days from the date on the determination letter to file a protest with NYS Department of Labor. Don't count the day you received it - start counting from the day after the letter date. Make sure you submit it in writing either online through your my.ny.gov account or by mail to the address listed on the determination.
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Molly Hansen
•Thank you! So if the letter is dated January 15th, I would have until February 14th to protest? And I can do it online through the regular unemployment portal?
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Skylar Neal
yeah 30 days but make sure you keep proof that you submitted it on time. i almost got screwed because i thought i submitted mine but there was some technical glitch and it didn't go through
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Vincent Bimbach
•This is why I always recommend taking screenshots when submitting anything through my.ny.gov. The system can be unreliable and you need proof of submission dates for NYS Department of Labor records.
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Kelsey Chin
What exactly can you protest though? I got a letter saying I was denied but I'm not sure if my situation qualifies for a protest or if I need to file an appeal instead. The terminology is confusing.
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Brady Clean
•A protest is for the initial determination about your eligibility or benefit amount. If you're denied initially, you would protest that denial. An appeal comes later if you disagree with the hearing decision after your protest.
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Norah Quay
I had to contact NYS Department of Labor multiple times about my protest because I kept getting busy signals when calling. If you're having trouble reaching them by phone, I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Made the whole process much less stressful.
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Molly Hansen
•Interesting, I'll check that out. The phone lines are definitely impossible to get through on. Did they help you understand the protest process better?
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Norah Quay
•Yes, the agent I spoke with through their service was able to explain exactly what documentation I needed for my protest and confirmed the 30-day deadline. Much clearer than trying to figure it out from the letter alone.
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Leo McDonald
Just want to add that weekends and holidays don't extend the 30-day deadline. So if day 30 falls on a Saturday, you still need to have it submitted by then, not the following Monday. NYS Department of Labor is pretty strict about this.
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