NY unemployment claiming issues for my son's seasonal camp counselor job - break in claim error
My son has been working as a youth camp counselor this summer (seasonal job). For July he only worked about 20 hours total for the month. Now when he tries to certify and reports 0 hours, the NY unemployment system keeps saying there's a 'break in his claim'. He's answering all the certification questions truthfully, but we're confused about one thing - when asked for the reason he's not working, should he select 'lack of work' since his hours were reduced to zero? The camp season is ending so technically it's seasonal work ending, but the system doesn't seem to have a specific option for that. Has anyone dealt with seasonal employment claims? I'm worried he'll lose benefits if we answer incorrectly.
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QuantumLeap
Your son should select 'lack of work' in this situation. Since it's seasonal employment that's ending, that's the closest accurate option in the NY system. 'Lack of work' covers both complete job loss and reduction to zero hours. The important thing is that he continues to certify every week even with the 'break in claim' message - that message is often just informational and doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem with his claim.
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Emma Wilson
•Thank you! That's what we thought but weren't 100% sure. Do you know if he needs to call anyone at NYSDOL or just keep certifying with the 'lack of work' reason?
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Malik Johnson
We had the EXACT same issue with my daughter last summer!!! The break in claim message is super confusing. Just keep certifying and YES use 'lack of work' - thats what we did and it eventually worked out but took like 3 weeks for payments to start again ugh
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Emma Wilson
•Oh that's good to hear someone else went through this. 3 weeks is a long time though! Did you have to call them or did it just resolve itself eventually?
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Malik Johnson
•It resolves itself eventually but we did end up calling after 2 weeks because we got nervous. Took FOREVER to get through tho
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Isabella Santos
I actually work with seasonal employees, and this is a common issue. The system isn't designed well for seasonal work. Here's what he should do: 1. Select 'lack of work' - this is correct for seasonal work ending 2. Continue certifying EVERY week without fail 3. If payments don't start after 2 weekly certifications, call NYSDOL The 'break in claim' message usually appears when there's a change in reporting pattern. Since he went from reporting some hours to zero hours, the system flags it. It's mostly automatic and resolves itself, but sometimes requires agent intervention if it doesn't process correctly within 2-3 weeks.
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Emma Wilson
•This is really helpful, thank you! We'll make sure he keeps certifying every week. Fingers crossed it resolves automatically, but we'll call if needed after a couple weeks.
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Ravi Sharma
lol good luck calling them!! I spent 3 days trying to get thru to someone at ny unemployment last month and never got past the automated system 🙄
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Freya Larsen
•I had the same frustration trying to reach NYSDOL! Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of days of trying. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - saved me so much stress with my seasonal work situation that was similar to what your son is experiencing.
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Omar Hassan
My nephew had this SAME EXACT issue!!! the seasonal work thing is so confusing with unemployment! the break in claim message is just because the system gets confused when u go from some hours to zero hours. but yeah 'lack of work' is right option
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Chloe Taylor
I'm not sure everyone here is giving correct advice... When I had a seasonal job end, I had to select "laid off" not "lack of work" because it was the end of a pre-determined work period. The system asks you to verify several additional details with seasonal work. Has your son received any termination or end-of-season documentation from the camp? That would clarify the correct selection.
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Isabella Santos
•This is incorrect for NY unemployment in 2025. The "laid off" option is specifically for permanent employment that was terminated by the employer. For seasonal work ending as scheduled, "lack of work" is the correct selection. The NYSDOL updated their guidance on this in late 2024. The verification questions that come after will allow him to indicate it was seasonal work.
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Chloe Taylor
•Oh, I stand corrected! Thank you for clarifying. I wasn't aware of the updated guidance.
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ShadowHunter
ok so im in a slightly difrent situation but I had this break in claim thing happen to me also. What I learned is dont skip weeks of certifying even if u think you dont qualify that week! This triggers the break in claim thing. Just certify every week no matter what and be honest about hours. they do eventually sort it out.
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Emma Wilson
Thanks everyone for the advice! My son selected 'lack of work' and we're making sure he certifies every week without fail. The certification went through this week but payment is still showing as pending. We'll give it another week before considering calling NYSDOL. It's such a relief to know others have dealt with this seasonal work situation successfully!
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QuantumLeap
•That's great! The pending status is normal after a break in claim message. It typically takes 1-2 certification cycles to start processing payments again. Keep us posted!
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