NYS Department of Labor unemployment questions and answers - need help with weekly claims
I'm three weeks into my unemployment claim and have so many questions about the process. My biggest confusion is around the weekly claims - I keep getting different answers when I try to call NYS Department of Labor. Some basic questions: Do I need to report volunteer work hours? What if I have a job interview during the week I'm claiming? How specific do I need to be about my job search activities in the log? Also, my claim status still shows 'pending' even though I've been filing weekly. Is this normal? Any answers would be really helpful since the NYS Department of Labor phone lines are impossible to get through.
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Liam Cortez
For weekly claims, here are the basics: Yes, report ALL work including volunteer if you're getting paid anything. Job interviews don't count as work unless you're getting paid for travel time. For job search, you need 3 activities per week - be specific about company names, dates, and method of contact in your log. Pending status is normal for the first few weeks while NYS Department of Labor processes everything.
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Kiara Fisherman
•Thanks! What about if I do unpaid volunteer work - like helping at a food bank? Do I still report that even though there's no payment?
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Savannah Vin
been filing for 2 months now and still learning things lol... one thing i figured out is you HAVE to answer those weekly questions exactly the same way every time or they flag your claim for review
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Kiara Fisherman
•What do you mean exactly the same way? Like if my job search methods change week to week, that's a problem?
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Mason Stone
The job search log is crucial - don't just put 'applied online' for everything. NYS Department of Labor wants specifics: company name, position title, how you applied (company website, Indeed, etc.), and the date. I keep a spreadsheet with all this info because they can audit your log anytime. Also, networking events count as job search activities if you document who you met and what companies were represented.
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Makayla Shoemaker
•Wait they can audit the job search log?? I've been pretty vague with my entries because I didn't think anyone actually checked them.
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Christian Bierman
I had the same phone problem with NYS Department of Labor - couldn't get through for weeks to ask questions about my claim. Someone here mentioned claimyr.com and honestly it was a lifesaver. They got me connected to an actual agent in like 15 minutes. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Definitely worth checking out if you're stuck trying to reach someone.
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Kiara Fisherman
•How much does something like that cost? I'm unemployed so money is tight right now.
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Christian Bierman
•I don't remember the exact cost but it was way less stressful than spending hours trying to call. The value was worth it for me to get my questions answered quickly.
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Emma Olsen
The whole system is so confusing honestly. I'm in week 5 and still don't understand half the questions they ask on the weekly claim form. What does 'able and available' even mean exactly?
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Liam Cortez
•Able and available means you're physically and mentally capable of working and you're actively seeking employment. If you're sick, on vacation, or not looking for work that week, you'd answer no.
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Lucas Lindsey
Just wanted to say thanks for asking these questions! I'm starting my claim next week and this thread has been super helpful.
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Vince Eh
I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for about 6 weeks now and can share what I've learned. For the pending status - mine stayed pending for almost a month before switching to approved, so don't panic yet. Make sure you're doing your weekly certifications on the same day each week if possible. One tip that helped me: when you do your job search activities, save screenshots or confirmation emails from applications as backup proof. I learned this the hard way when they asked me to verify some of my job search activities. Also, if you're doing any freelance or gig work (even just a few hours), you MUST report it - they cross-reference with other databases and will catch discrepancies.
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Nia Harris
•This is really helpful advice! Quick question about the freelance/gig work reporting - do you know what the threshold is for reporting? Like if I make $20 from a small task, does that need to be reported too? Also, when you say they cross-reference with other databases, are you talking about like tax records or something else? I want to make sure I'm being completely accurate with my reporting.
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