NYS Department of Labor claim delayed - how were unemployment and homelessness connected to laughter and entertainment in the 1930s research project
I'm doing research on how unemployment and homelessness connected to laughter and entertainment in the 1930s for a history paper while waiting for my NYS Department of Labor claim to process. Been stuck in adjudication for 2 weeks now and figured I'd use the time productively. Anyone know good sources about Depression-era entertainment helping people cope with unemployment? Also has anyone else had their claim take this long recently? Getting worried about bills piling up.
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Carter Holmes
For your research, check out how vaudeville and radio comedy helped people during the Depression. Charlie Chaplin's films were huge because they showed the 'little tramp' character dealing with unemployment but finding humor in it. As for your NYS Department of Labor claim, 2 weeks in adjudication is pretty normal right now. They're backed up with claim reviews. Have you checked your my.ny.gov account for any pending issues that need documentation?
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Mia Alvarez
•Thanks! That's exactly the kind of connection I was looking for. My account doesn't show any issues to resolve, just says 'adjudication in progress.' Should I call or just wait it out?
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Sophia Long
my claim took 3 weeks last month, no explanation just eventually got approved. for your paper you should look into how soup kitchens sometimes had entertainment to keep spirits up, and how people would gather around radio shows for free laughs when they couldn't afford movies
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Mia Alvarez
•That's a great angle about soup kitchens! Did your claim approval come with back pay for those 3 weeks?
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Angelica Smith
Interesting research topic! The 1930s saw entertainment become a form of social relief - think about how WPA funded theater projects and how comedy shows on radio were FREE entertainment for unemployed families. For your NYS Department of Labor situation, if you need to reach an agent about your adjudication status, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to someone when the regular phone lines weren't working. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really helped when I was stuck waiting for weeks.
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Logan Greenburg
•Never heard of that service but might try it if my claim doesn't move soon. The WPA theater angle is perfect for my paper though - free entertainment as government policy during unemployment crisis.
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Charlotte Jones
ugh the NYS Department of Labor is SUCH a mess right now, they're taking forever with everything!! for your research you might want to look at how people made their own entertainment too, like hobo songs and street performances by unemployed musicians. at least back then they didn't have to deal with broken websites and endless phone trees...
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Mia Alvarez
•Hobo songs is a great lead! And yeah, the phone system is brutal. At least they had face-to-face offices back then.
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Lucas Bey
This reminds me of when I was researching my family history and found out my great-grandfather lost his job in 1932 but started playing guitar on street corners for tips. He said the only way to survive was to keep people laughing even when everyone was broke. Entertainment was like medicine back then. Hope your claim goes through soon!
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