How to get NY unemployment denial letter from 2019 for my records?
I need help getting an official denial letter from NY unemployment. I filed a claim at the end of 2019 that was denied, but now I need the documentation for a mortgage application. Does anyone know how to request old determination letters? Is there a specific form I need to fill out or do I just call the main unemployment number? The mortgage company is giving me a hard time without this proof.
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Aisha Khan
Call them and good luck lol. I tried calling NY unemployment last week about a diff issue and was on hold for 3 hours before giving up. You'll prob need to wait on hold forever to get a real person.
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CosmicCruiser
•Ugh that's what I was afraid of. Did you try calling first thing in the morning? I'm wondering if that would be better.
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Ethan Taylor
You need to request your unemployment insurance records. You can do it online through your NY.gov account. Go to the 'My Documents' section and look for 'Request UI Records'. Select the date range from 2019 and it should include any determination letters. The system only lets you see the most recent 18 months by default but you can submit a special request for older records.
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CosmicCruiser
•Thanks! I tried looking in my NY.gov account but couldn't find that option. Do I need to be in a specific section? When I go to My Documents I only see recent stuff from 2024.
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Yuki Ito
I went thru something similar last yr for a loan. The online system DOES NOT let you access records from 2019 anymore - they only keep stuff for like 3 years online. Youll need to submit a written request to the Records Access Office. There's a form you need to download and mail in with your signature. Can't remember what its called tho.
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Ethan Taylor
•You're right - I forgot about the retention period! The form is the DOL-31, 'Request for UI Records'. It can be downloaded from the NYSDOL website under Forms and Publications.
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Carmen Lopez
I work with mortgage applications and deal with this frequently. For NY unemployment denial verification from 2019, you need to complete form DOL-31 'Request for UI Records' and specify you need the determination notice from 2019. Be very specific about what documentation you need - a formal DETERMINATION NOTICE showing DENIAL OF BENEFITS. Mail it to: NYS Department of Labor PO Box 15130 Albany, NY 12212-5130 Include your full name, last 4 of SSN, address from 2019, current contact info, and date range (specify the months in 2019). Processing time is currently 3-4 weeks, so start this process immediately if your mortgage lender has deadlines.
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CosmicCruiser
•This is exactly what I needed! Thank you so much for the detailed instructions. Do you know if there's any way to expedite the process? My closing is scheduled for next month.
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Andre Dupont
After waiting 6 weeks for my records and getting nothing, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a live agent. They connected me in about 10 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. The agent was able to email me my old determination letter that same day. Check out their demo: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - it saved me a TON of time.
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Yuki Ito
•Does that actually work? I thought it was a scam or something when I saw it advertised.
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Andre Dupont
•Definitely not a scam. I was skeptical too but was desperate after waiting for weeks. They just help you skip the phone queue. Agent emailed me my determination letter right away once I explained my situation.
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QuantumQuasar
The DOL-31 form is correct, but they're currently experiencing backlogs with mail requests. Another option: visit your local NY Career Center in person with your ID and they can often print historical determination letters on the spot. I got mine from 2020 this way last month. Bring photo ID and any reference numbers from your original claim if you have them.
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CosmicCruiser
•There's a career center about 30 minutes from me - I'll try going there tomorrow! Thanks for the suggestion, that would be much faster than waiting for mail processing.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
BEWARE OF THE CAREER CENTER OPTION! I went there for the same thing in January and they told me they couldn't help with records before 2022!!! Wasted half a day for nothing. Rules might be different in different offices but don't get your hopes up. The system is DESIGNED to make things difficult.
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CosmicCruiser
•Thanks for the warning. Maybe I'll call the career center first to confirm if they can help with 2019 records before making the trip.
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CosmicCruiser
Update: I was able to get my 2019 denial letter! For anyone who might need this in the future, I ended up using Claimyr to get through to an agent (took about 15 mins instead of hours of waiting). The agent was able to see my 2019 claim in their system and emailed me the determination letter within a few hours. My mortgage broker accepted it and we're moving forward. Thanks everyone for your help!
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StarStrider
•That's awesome! Congrats on getting it sorted out and moving forward with your mortgage. Good to know Claimyr actually worked - I might keep that in mind if I ever need to deal with NY unemployment again. Thanks for updating us with what worked!
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