NYS Department of Labor denied my unemployment claim - why would unemployment deny my claim?
Got a determination letter today saying my unemployment claim was denied and I'm honestly confused about the reasoning. I was laid off from my warehouse job in December due to company downsizing, filed my claim within a week, and thought everything was straightforward. The letter mentions something about 'voluntary separation' but that's not what happened - I have my termination paperwork showing it was a layoff. Has anyone else had their claim wrongly denied like this? I need to understand what went wrong because I really need these benefits to cover rent and bills while I job search.
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Nia Jackson
The most common reasons NYS Department of Labor denies claims are: voluntary quit, termination for misconduct, not meeting work/wage requirements, or issues with your job separation circumstances. Since you mentioned they cited 'voluntary separation' but you were laid off, this sounds like incorrect information was reported by your employer. You'll need to file an appeal within 30 days and provide your layoff documentation as evidence.
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Luca Romano
•Thank you! I definitely have the layoff paperwork. Do I need to include anything else with the appeal or just that documentation?
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NebulaNova
Same thing happened to me last year - employer reported I quit when I was actually terminated. The appeal process took about 6 weeks but I eventually got approved and received all my back benefits. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while the appeal is pending, otherwise you'll lose those weeks.
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Luca Romano
•Good to know about filing weekly claims during appeal! I was wondering about that. Did you have to do anything special to prove your case?
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NebulaNova
•I submitted my termination letter, final paycheck stub showing it was a layoff, and wrote a detailed statement explaining exactly what happened. The hearing officer believed my documentation over the employer's initial report.
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Mateo Hernandez
ugh this is SO frustrating when employers lie about why you left!! happened to my cousin too and she had to fight it for months
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Aisha Khan
If you're having trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor to discuss your denial, I had success using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Was really helpful when I couldn't get through the regular phone lines to ask questions about my adjudication.
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Ethan Taylor
•Never heard of that before but might be worth trying if the regular phone system keeps hanging up on me
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Yuki Ito
Other reasons they deny claims include not earning enough wages in your base period, being fired for misconduct, or failing to meet the job search requirements. But if you were legitimately laid off and have proof, this should be an easy appeal to win. Just make sure you understand the difference between a layoff and being terminated for cause when you explain your situation.
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Carmen Lopez
The NYS Department of Labor system is so broken, they deny legitimate claims all the time and make people jump through hoops to get what they're entitled to. It's like they hope you'll just give up and not appeal.
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