Is there federal unemployment benefits or just NYS Department of Labor state programs?
I'm really confused about unemployment benefits right now. My friend in another state mentioned something about federal unemployment programs, but when I filed my claim here in NY everything went through the NYS Department of Labor website. Are there actually federal unemployment benefits available or is everything handled at the state level? I lost my job last month and want to make sure I'm not missing out on any additional benefits I could be eligible for. The NYS Department of Labor portal only shows my regular UI claim status but I keep seeing references online to federal programs.
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Alice Fleming
Unemployment insurance is administered by individual states, but it's funded through a combination of state and federal taxes. In New York, the NYS Department of Labor handles all regular unemployment claims. There used to be federal extensions during emergencies (like the pandemic programs), but those ended in 2021. Right now, your regular UI benefits through NYS Department of Labor are what's available for most people.
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Steven Adams
•So there's no separate federal application I need to file? Just the one through my.ny.gov?
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Hassan Khoury
The federal government sets some basic guidelines for unemployment programs, but each state runs their own system. NYS Department of Labor follows federal rules but processes everything locally. During major recessions or emergencies, Congress sometimes creates additional federal programs, but those are temporary. For regular unemployment in NY, you only deal with NYS Department of Labor.
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Victoria Stark
•This is confusing because I remember during COVID there were all those extra programs with different names. Are those completely gone now?
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Hassan Khoury
•Yes, all the pandemic programs (PUA, PEUC, FPUC) ended in September 2021. Now it's back to regular state unemployment insurance only.
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Benjamin Kim
i thought there was still some federal money involved but yeah everything goes through your state. in ny thats nys department of labor obviously
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Samantha Howard
The whole system is so confusing! I've been trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor for weeks about my claim status and their phone lines are always busy. It would be nice if there was a federal office that could help when the state system isn't working properly.
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Alice Fleming
•If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone, you might want to check out claimyr.com - they have a service that helps people get through to unemployment agents. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I used it last month when I couldn't get through about my adjudication issue.
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Samantha Howard
•Thanks, I'll look into that. The wait times with NYS Department of Labor are just ridiculous right now.
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