NYS Department of Labor how to file for unemployment brochure - where can I find official guide?
I'm trying to help my brother who just got laid off from his warehouse job. He's never filed for unemployment before and is completely overwhelmed by the my.ny.gov website. I remember there used to be a simple brochure that explained how to file for unemployment benefits step by step, but I can't find it anywhere on the NYS Department of Labor site. Does anyone know if they still have an official how to file for unemployment brochure or guide that breaks down the process in plain English? He's getting confused by all the technical terms and just needs something basic to walk him through filing his initial claim.
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NebulaNinja
The NYS Department of Labor doesn't really use paper brochures anymore, but they do have a step-by-step guide on their website. Go to labor.ny.gov and look for the 'How to File' section under unemployment insurance. It walks you through creating the my.ny.gov account, filling out the application, and what documents you'll need like his last employer's info and Social Security card.
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Giovanni Mancini
•Thanks! I'll help him navigate that. Do you know if there's a checklist somewhere of what information he needs to gather before starting?
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
honestly the website is pretty confusing even with their guide. took me forever to figure out what they meant by 'benefit year' and all that stuff when i filed last year
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Dylan Mitchell
Your brother should gather his employment history for the last 18 months, including employer names, addresses, dates of employment, and reason for leaving each job. He'll also need his Social Security number, driver's license, and bank account information for direct deposit. The NYS Department of Labor application asks for all of this upfront, so having it ready makes the process much smoother.
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Giovanni Mancini
•This is really helpful - I'll make him a list of everything to collect first. He worked a couple different places in the past year so we'll need to track all that down.
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Sofia Morales
If you guys are having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone for questions, I recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you actually reach a live agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I used it last month when I was stuck on a verification issue and it was so much easier than trying to call myself and getting hung up on constantly.
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Dmitry Popov
•How does that work exactly? Do they just call for you or something?
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Sofia Morales
•Yeah basically they handle the calling and waiting on hold, then connect you when they get an agent on the line. Saved me hours of frustration trying to get through myself.
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Ava Garcia
Make sure he files as soon as possible after his last day of work! There's no waiting period in New York but you can't get benefits for any weeks before you file your claim. Also tell him not to stress too much about making mistakes on the application - he can always call to correct information later if needed.
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StarSailor}
ugh the whole system is such a mess. why can't they just have a simple form instead of making people jump through hoops on that terrible website
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NebulaNinja
•I get the frustration, but once you get through the initial filing it's actually not too bad. The weekly claims are pretty straightforward and only take a few minutes each week.
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