How soon can you apply for unemployment after being fired in New York?
Got terminated yesterday from my retail job for attendance issues (I was late a few times due to my car breaking down). My manager said it was immediate termination. I've never filed for unemployment before and I'm really confused about the timing. Can I apply right away or do I need to wait? I'm worried about bills piling up and want to get this process started as soon as possible. Also not sure if being fired for attendance will affect my eligibility.
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NightOwl42
You can apply immediately after your last day of work. NYS Department of Labor doesn't require any waiting period to file your initial claim. The sooner you apply, the better since there's a one-week unpaid waiting period before benefits start. Being fired for attendance might be considered misconduct, but you can still apply and they'll make a determination during adjudication.
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Dylan Hughes
•Thank you! Should I mention the car trouble when I file or just say I was terminated?
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Sofia Rodriguez
File today if you can. Go to labor.ny.gov and start your application. You'll need your Social Security number, driver's license, and employment info for the last 18 months. Even if they deny you initially for misconduct, you can appeal the decision. Document everything about your car problems - receipts, repair estimates, anything that shows it was beyond your control.
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Dylan Hughes
•I do have the repair receipts! I'll gather those up before I start the application.
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Dmitry Ivanov
same thing happened to my sister last year, she got fired and applied right away but it took like 6 weeks to get approved because they had to investigate if it was misconduct or not
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Ava Thompson
The NYS Department of Labor system is so frustrating when you're trying to get through to an actual person about your claim status. I spent weeks calling and getting hung up on. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an agent in like 20 minutes. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me so much stress when my claim got stuck in adjudication.
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Miguel Herrera
•Is that legit? I've been trying to call for two weeks about my pending claim and can never get through.
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Ava Thompson
•Yeah it's real, they basically navigate the phone system for you and get you in the queue. Way better than hitting redial 100 times a day.
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Zainab Ali
Don't get your hopes up too high. The whole system is designed to deny as many people as possible. They'll probably say your attendance issues were willful misconduct and deny your claim. Then you'll have to appeal and wait months for a hearing. It's all a joke.
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NightOwl42
•That's not necessarily true. If the attendance issues were due to transportation problems beyond their control, it might not be considered misconduct. Worth applying and letting NYS Department of Labor make the determination.
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Connor Murphy
yeah apply asap! I waited like a week after getting laid off and wished I hadnt wasted that time
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