NYS Department of Labor unemployment qualification requirements - who qualify for unemployment benefits?
I'm trying to figure out if I qualify for unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor. I was laid off from my warehouse job last month after working there for 8 months. Before that I had another job for about 6 months but quit because of a family emergency. I'm hearing different things about who qualify for unemployment and what the requirements are. Does anyone know the exact criteria? I'm worried my previous job where I quit might disqualify me even though my recent job was a layoff.
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Carmen Sanchez
The basic NYS Department of Labor requirements are: you must have worked and earned wages in NY state, lost your job through no fault of your own, be able and available to work, and actively seeking employment. You need sufficient wage credits from your base period (usually first 4 of last 5 completed calendar quarters). Since your most recent separation was a layoff, that shouldn't disqualify you. The previous quit might not matter if you worked enough after it.
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Yuki Watanabe
•Thanks! Do you know how much I need to have earned to qualify? I'm worried 8 months might not be enough work history.
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Andre Dupont
You generally need to have earned wages in at least 2 quarters of your base period and have total wages of at least $2,600. Since you worked 8 months at your last job plus 6 months before that, you should easily meet the wage requirements. Just make sure you file your weekly claims on time and document your job search activities.
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Zoe Papadakis
•wait is it really only $2600 total? that seems really low for NY
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Andre Dupont
•That's the minimum threshold, but you also need to earn at least 1.5 times your high quarter wages in your base period to get the full benefit amount.
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ThunderBolt7
I had so much trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I was trying to figure out my eligibility last year. Spent hours on hold just to get basic questions answered about my work history. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that connects you directly to agents - there's even a video demo showing how it works at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. Saved me so much frustration trying to reach someone at the unemployment office.
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Yuki Watanabe
•Is that service legit? I'm nervous about giving my info to third parties for unemployment stuff.
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ThunderBolt7
•Yeah it's legitimate, they just help you get connected faster. You still talk directly to the actual NYS Department of Labor agents, they just bypass the phone queue.
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Jamal Edwards
Don't forget you also have to register for work search activities! NYS Department of Labor requires you to make at least 3 job contacts per week and keep a detailed log. I almost got my benefits stopped because I didn't realize how specific they want the documentation to be.
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Yuki Watanabe
•Good point, I haven't even thought about that part yet. Do they check up on the job contacts you report?
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Mei Chen
honestly the whole system is a mess, they make it so confusing on purpose!! ive been trying to figure out my eligibility for weeks and every person i talk to tells me something different about the requirements
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Liam O'Sullivan
Based on what you described, you should definitely qualify. The layoff from your most recent job is what matters for eligibility, and 8 months of work should give you enough wage credits. Just file as soon as possible since there's usually a one-week waiting period before benefits start.
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