How to renew unemployment benefits with NYS Department of Labor - confused about reactivation process
My unemployment benefits expired last month and I'm still looking for work. I heard you might be able to renew or reactivate your claim but I'm really confused about the process. When I log into my.ny.gov it just shows my old claim as 'exhausted' and I don't see any obvious way to renew unemployment benefits. Do I need to file a completely new claim or is there a way to extend the existing one? I've been unemployed for about 8 months total and really need to figure out how to renew unemployment benefits before I fall behind on rent.
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Jenna Sloan
You'll need to file a new initial claim since your benefit year ended. The NYS Department of Labor requires a new application when your previous claim expires - you can't just reactivate the old one. Go to labor.ny.gov and click 'File a Claim' then follow the prompts for a new initial claim. Make sure you have your employment history for the past 18 months ready.
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Raul Neal
•Thank you! So even though I was already receiving benefits before, I have to go through the whole application process again? That seems like a lot of extra work.
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Christian Burns
been there! filed my new claim last week after my benefits ran out. the whole process took about 45 minutes online. just make sure you report any work you did during your previous claim period accurately or they'll flag it for review
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Sasha Reese
One important thing - when you file the new claim, NYS Department of Labor will look at your earnings from the past year to determine your new benefit amount. If you didn't work much during your previous claim period, your weekly benefit rate might be lower than before. Also, you'll need to serve a new waiting week unless you qualify for an exception.
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Muhammad Hobbs
•Wait, there's a waiting week again?? I thought once you served one waiting week you didn't have to do it again. This system is so confusing!
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Sasha Reese
•Unfortunately yes, each new benefit year typically requires a new waiting week. There are some exceptions but they're pretty specific circumstances.
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Noland Curtis
I was in the same boat trying to figure out how to renew unemployment benefits. Spent forever on hold trying to call NYS Department of Labor before I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com. They actually got me through to an agent who walked me through the whole new claim process. There's even a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of frustration.
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Raul Neal
•How much does something like that cost? I'm already strapped for cash waiting for benefits to start up again.
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Noland Curtis
•It was worth it for me to avoid the phone tree nightmare. The agent was able to answer all my questions about the new claim requirements in one call instead of me guessing.
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Diez Ellis
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU GIVE UP! They make it impossible to reach anyone and then act like starting over with a new claim is no big deal. I've been fighting with NYS Department of Labor for months just to get basic information about my options.
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Vanessa Figueroa
•I feel you on the frustration but the new claim process is actually pretty straightforward once you know what to do. The website walks you through it step by step.
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Christian Burns
Just a heads up - make sure you continue doing your job search activities even while waiting for the new claim to process. They'll ask about your job search from the week you file the new claim forward.
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StarStrider
@Raul Neal - I went through this exact same situation a few months ago. The key thing to remember is that you're essentially starting fresh with a new benefit year. When you file the new claim online, make sure you have all your W-2s or pay stubs from the last 18 months handy, even from jobs during your previous claim period if you had any temp work. Also, don't worry too much about the waiting week - it goes by quickly and you'll be back to receiving benefits. The hardest part is just getting started with that initial application, but once it's submitted the process moves pretty smoothly. Good luck!
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Ryan Kim
•Thanks for the detailed advice! I'm feeling a bit more confident about tackling this now. Quick question - when you say have pay stubs from the last 18 months ready, does that include any part-time or gig work I might have done while on my previous claim? I did some occasional delivery driving but wasn't sure if I needed to report that for the new application.
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