How to continue unemployment benefits after initial claim approval in NYS
My initial unemployment claim was approved two months ago and I've been filing my weekly claims regularly. But I'm getting confused about what I need to do to make sure my benefits don't get cut off. Do I need to reapply at some point or do the weekly claims automatically continue my benefits? I've been doing the job search requirements and logging everything, but I'm worried I'm missing something important. The NYS Department of Labor website isn't super clear about this and I don't want to mess up and lose my benefits.
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Isabella Oliveira
You don't need to reapply as long as you keep filing your weekly claims on time and meet all the requirements. Your benefits will continue for up to 26 weeks (or whatever your benefit year allows) as long as you remain eligible. The key things are: file every week even if you worked some hours, complete your work search activities, and respond immediately if NYS Department of Labor requests any information.
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Malik Thomas
•That's a relief! So I just keep doing what I'm doing? I've been panicking that I was supposed to do something else.
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Ravi Kapoor
yeah just keep filing weekly, dont skip weeks or you'll have problems getting back on
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Freya Larsen
Make sure you're keeping detailed records of your job search activities. NYS Department of Labor can audit your work search log at any time and if you can't prove you met the requirements, they can disqualify you and demand repayment of benefits. I use a spreadsheet to track every application, contact, and activity with dates and details.
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GalacticGladiator
•Wait, they can make you pay it all back?? I've been kind of loose with my job search tracking...
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Omar Zaki
I had issues reaching NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about continuing my claim. Kept getting busy signals and when I did get through, I'd get hung up on after waiting forever. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that calls for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo showing how it works (https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI). Saved me hours of frustration and I got my questions answered same day.
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Chloe Taylor
•Interesting, never heard of that before. Did it actually work or is it one of those scam things?
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Omar Zaki
•Totally legit. I was skeptical too but it actually connected me to a real NYS Department of Labor agent who could access my account and everything.
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Diego Flores
The system is SO confusing! I feel like they make it hard on purpose so people give up and stop claiming. I've been on unemployment for 3 months now and I still feel like I'm doing something wrong even when I follow all the rules.
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Emma Wilson
•@Diego Flores I totally get that feeling! The system really isn t'user-friendly at all. What helped me was writing down the exact steps I do each week for my claim so I have a routine - same day, same time, same process. It made me feel more confident that I wasn t'missing anything. You re'doing great by staying on top of it for 3 months!
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