NYS Department of Labor reduction force - what does this mean for my unemployment claim?
Got a letter from NYS Department of Labor yesterday saying my job separation was classified as 'reduction force' and I'm honestly confused about what this means for my unemployment benefits. I was laid off from my manufacturing job last month along with 12 other people when they shut down our department. The letter mentions something about my weekly benefit amount but I can't figure out if this is good or bad news. Does anyone know what reduction force means exactly and how it affects my claim? I'm supposed to file my weekly claim tomorrow and don't want to mess anything up.
9 comments
Join the conversation
Paige Cantoni
Reduction force is actually good news for your claim! It means NYS Department of Labor determined your job loss was due to lack of work, not any fault of your own. This classification typically means you qualify for full unemployment benefits without any penalties or waiting periods. When they lay off multiple people due to business reasons like closing a department, it's considered an involuntary separation through no fault of the employee.
0 coins
Chad Winthrope
•Oh thank god, I was worried it meant they were reducing my benefits somehow! So I can just continue filing my weekly claims as normal?
0 coins
Kylo Ren
Yeah reduction force is one of the best separation reasons you can have for unemployment. It means you were part of a workforce reduction due to economic reasons - basically what most people call a layoff. The company probably reported to NYS Department of Labor that they eliminated positions due to lack of work or restructuring. You should get your full weekly benefit amount without any issues as long as you meet the other requirements like being able and available for work.
0 coins
Nina Fitzgerald
•This is exactly what happened when my factory closed a whole shift last year. Reduction force made everything smooth sailing for my claim.
0 coins
Jason Brewer
I've been trying to reach NYS Department of Labor for weeks about my own claim status and can never get through. If you need to talk to someone about your reduction force classification, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an agent in like 20 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours just to get disconnected.
0 coins
Kiara Fisherman
•Never heard of that but honestly anything is better than the regular phone system. I spent 4 hours yesterday trying to get through and gave up.
0 coins
Liam Cortez
reduction force basically means company downsizing, its the easiest type of claim to get approved since theres no question about why you lost the job
0 coins
Savannah Vin
I got reduction force too when they closed my department but I'm still nervous about the job search requirements. Do I still need to do 3 work search activities per week even though it was clearly not my fault I lost my job?
0 coins
Paige Cantoni
•Yes, you still need to meet all the ongoing eligibility requirements including job search activities. The reduction force classification just determines that your initial separation qualifies you for benefits - you still have to prove you're actively looking for work each week.
0 coins