NY unemployment forfeit penalty - call 209 number or must file appeal?

You technically CAN call the 888-209-8124 number about forfeit days, but good luck getting through. I waited 3+ hours last month trying this approach. The formal appeal is actually the better route for forfeit penalties because it creates an official record. If you go the appeal route, make sure to submit it within 30 days of the determination notice date.

I had a forfeit thing last year and just kept calling til someone picked up. took FOREVER but they actually fixed mine over the phone when I explained what happened. Depends on why u got the forfeit days I think

To answer your question about payments - filing an appeal doesn't automatically put your other payments on hold, but the forfeit days themselves will still apply until/unless your appeal is successful. So you'll still have those 4 weeks where you won't receive benefits regardless.

I work with unemployment cases regularly, and here's what you need to know about forfeit days: 1. You CAN call the 209 number to discuss and potentially resolve forfeit penalties, but this approach works best for simple misunderstandings or clerical errors. 2. For more complex situations (especially if you received forfeit days due to alleged misrepresentation), a formal appeal is usually necessary. 3. If you decide to call, be prepared with all relevant documentation and a clear explanation of why the forfeit penalty should be removed. 4. The appeals process takes 3-4 weeks currently, but creates an official record and gives you the chance to present evidence. My recommendation: Try calling first, but be prepared to file an appeal if the phone representative can't help. And yes, document EVERYTHING.

After spending 5 DAYS trying to get through on that awful 209 number about my forfeit days (which I got for a stupid reason btw), I finally used Claimyr to get through to a real person. It was actually worth it because they connected me to an agent in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for a week on my own. The agent was able to review my case and reduce my forfeit days right there on the phone. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - their website is claimyr.com if you're tired of the frustration.

Does anyone know if they're going to increase the forfeit day penalties in 2025??? I heard from someone they're changing the whole system and I'm FREAKING OUT because I already have 8 forfeit days and I can't afford to lose any more weeks!!!!!

My friend just went through this last month. She called the 209 number AND filed an appeal at the same time. The phone rep actually helped her while the appeal was pending and told her she could withdraw the appeal once they fixed it. Smart way to cover all bases.

lol i remember when i got hit with forfeit days back in november. waste of time calling!! filed appeal, got denied, had to serve all 10 forfeit days. system is rigged.

Thank you all for the helpful advice! I'm going to try a two-pronged approach: 1) File the appeal right away to get that process started, and 2) Try calling using that Claimyr service to see if I can get someone on the phone who might be able to help more quickly. I'll update once I have any progress. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences!

Just wanted to add my experience - I had forfeit days last summer and was able to get them reduced by calling the 209 number. The key was having all my paperwork ready and being really clear about what happened. I got through on my third try (called early morning around 8:15am) and the rep was actually pretty helpful. She looked at my account and saw it was an honest mistake with reporting part-time work, so she reduced my forfeit from 6 weeks to 2 weeks right there. Definitely worth trying the phone first before going the formal appeal route, especially if it's just a reporting error.