How to reopen unemployment claim with NYS Department of Labor - my benefits expired last year
My unemployment benefits ran out in September 2024 and I found temp work for a few months but that ended last week. Now I need to file again but I'm not sure if I should start a completely new claim or if there's a way to reopen my old one? I still have my login for my.ny.gov but when I go to the NYS Department of Labor section it just shows my old claim as 'exhausted'. Has anyone dealt with this situation before? I'm worried about messing something up if I file incorrectly.
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Quinn Herbert
You'll need to file a new claim since your benefit year ended. Don't try to reopen the old one - that's only for temporary breaks during an active benefit year. Go through the regular application process on my.ny.gov like you did originally. Make sure you have your work history from the temp job ready since they'll need those earnings to determine your new weekly benefit amount.
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Shelby Bauman
•Thanks! Should I wait until exactly a week after my last day of work or can I file right away?
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Salim Nasir
same thing happened to me last year! i tried to reopen my old claim first and it wouldn't let me. had to start over completely but it wasn't too bad, just took like 20 minutes to fill out
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Hazel Garcia
The key thing is you need to file within one week of your last day of work to avoid any waiting period. Since you worked recently, you should qualify for a new benefit year. Just be ready for them to possibly request wage verification from your temp employer - I had to send in paystubs when they couldn't verify my earnings electronically.
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Laila Fury
•Wait, what if the temp agency doesn't respond to NYS Department of Labor? I'm worried about getting stuck in adjudication forever trying to prove my wages.
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Hazel Garcia
•That's actually a common problem. If you can't reach someone at NYS Department of Labor directly about adjudication issues, there's a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps people get through to actual agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Might be worth checking out if you get stuck.
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Geoff Richards
ugh the whole system is so confusing. why can't they just make it simple to reopen a claim instead of making you start over from scratch every time
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Simon White
•I know it seems annoying but it actually makes sense from a benefits perspective. Starting fresh means they recalculate your weekly amount based on recent earnings instead of old wages from 2023.
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Hugo Kass
good luck! definitely file asap though
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