NYS Department of Labor asking about unemployment spell definition on my claim form
I'm filling out some paperwork for my unemployment claim and there's a section asking about my 'unemployment spell' - specifically they want to know about a period during which an individual is continuously unemployed is known as an unemployment spell. I think I understand what they mean but I want to make sure I'm answering correctly. Does this just mean the total time from when I lost my job until I find new work? My last job ended in November and I've been filing weekly claims since then. Would my unemployment spell be from November until now, or does it reset if there are gaps in my claim filing? I had to stop filing for two weeks in December when I thought I had a job lined up but it fell through.
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Jasmine Hancock
Yes, you're understanding it correctly. An unemployment spell is the continuous period you're out of work and seeking employment. In your case, it would be from November until you find and start new employment, even if you had a brief gap in filing. The NYS Department of Labor considers the spell to continue as long as you remain unemployed, regardless of short interruptions in benefit filing.
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James Maki
•That makes sense, thank you! So even though I stopped filing for those two weeks, my unemployment spell didn't technically end because I was still unemployed?
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Cole Roush
had the same confusion when i was filling out forms last year. basically its just asking how long youve been out of work total not how long youve been getting benefits
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Scarlett Forster
The technical definition matters for certain programs and statistics. Your unemployment spell starts when you become unemployed and ends when you return to work, not when you start or stop filing claims. If you need to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor to clarify this for your specific situation, I had good luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through their phone system. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Much easier than trying to call directly.
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Arnav Bengali
•Wait is that legit? I've been trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor for weeks about my adjudication issues
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Scarlett Forster
•Yeah it's real, basically helps you navigate their phone system. I used it when I needed to check on my claim status and couldn't get through the normal way.
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Sayid Hassan
The whole system is so confusing with all these technical terms!! Why can't they just ask 'how long have you been out of work' instead of using fancy terminology like unemployment spell?? Makes it sound like we're casting magic or something
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Rachel Tao
•lol unemployment spell does sound pretty mystical when you put it that way
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