How to find out if someone is collecting unemployment benefits in NYS Department of Labor system
My ex-business partner left our company abruptly 6 months ago claiming he was going to start his own business immediately. Now I'm hearing from mutual contacts that he might actually be collecting unemployment benefits while also doing some under-the-table work. Is there any way to verify if someone is actually receiving NYS Department of Labor benefits? I'm not trying to cause trouble but if he's working and collecting at the same time, that seems like fraud. Does the NYS Department of Labor have any way for employers or the public to check this kind of thing?
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Giovanni Ricci
You can't just look up someone's unemployment status - that's private information protected by state and federal privacy laws. The NYS Department of Labor doesn't provide public access to individual claim information. However, if you have legitimate concerns about unemployment fraud, you can report it to the NYS Department of Labor fraud hotline. They investigate these cases but won't tell you the outcome.
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Amara Eze
•Thanks, that makes sense about the privacy aspect. I just wasn't sure if there was some public database or something. Do you know what kind of evidence they need for a fraud report?
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NeonNomad
why would you even want to know this?? sounds like you're just being nosy about your ex partner's business. people collect unemployment all the time and its none of your business unless you're the employer
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Amara Eze
•I mentioned he was claiming he'd start his own business right away, but if he's actually collecting benefits AND working under the table, that's fraud. I'm not being nosy, I'm concerned about legitimate fraud.
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
The only way employers can access unemployment information is through the NYS Department of Labor employer portal, and only for their own former employees. If he filed against your company, you would have received notices about his claim when it was filed. You can contest claims if you have evidence the person quit voluntarily or was terminated for misconduct. But you can't just check random people's unemployment status.
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Dylan Mitchell
•Wait, so if someone files unemployment against a company, the company automatically gets notified? I didn't know that. What happens if the employer doesn't respond to those notices?
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
•Yes, employers get a notice to determine benefits within 10 days. If they don't respond, the claim usually gets approved by default. That's why it's important for employers to respond even if they think the claim should be approved.
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Sofia Martinez
I had so much trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I needed to check on my own claim status last year. The phone lines are always busy and the online system crashes constantly. If you really need to talk to someone there about reporting fraud, you might want to try using a service like Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they help people get through to actual NYS Department of Labor agents. I used them and they got me connected within an hour instead of spending days trying to call. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.
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Dmitry Volkov
•never heard of this service but anything that helps deal with NYS Department of Labor phone system sounds useful. their customer service is terrible
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Ava Thompson
Look I went through something similar with a former employee. You can report suspected fraud online through the NYS Department of Labor website or call their fraud hotline. They take it seriously but the investigation process is confidential. You'll never know what happened with the case unless they ask you for more information as a witness. Just make sure you have actual evidence and not just suspicions.
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Amara Eze
•That's helpful, thanks. I do have some concrete information from people who've seen him working, so it's not just suspicion. I'll look into filing a report.
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