NYS Department of Labor unemployment rates - is unemployment up or down lately?
I keep hearing different things about whether unemployment is up or down right now. I'm thinking about filing a claim but want to understand if it's getting harder or easier to get benefits approved. Has anyone noticed changes in how NYS Department of Labor is processing claims lately? Are they being stricter with approvals or job search requirements? Just trying to get a sense of the current situation before I file.
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Zoey Bianchi
From what I've seen, the unemployment rate in NY has been trending down over the past year, but that doesn't necessarily make it easier to get approved. NYS Department of Labor is still pretty strict about job search requirements and they're cracking down on adjudication reviews. If you have a legitimate claim, the approval process shouldn't be much different than before.
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Aiden Chen
•That's helpful to know. I'm worried they might be extra picky since fewer people are filing claims overall.
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Christopher Morgan
unemployment rates dont really affect individual claims much, its more about whether you meet the eligibility requirements. ive been filing weekly claims for 8 weeks now and the process has been pretty standard
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Aurora St.Pierre
The statewide unemployment rate is actually at historic lows right now, around 4.2% as of the latest data. But like others said, this doesn't impact your individual claim eligibility. NYS Department of Labor still uses the same criteria - you need to be unemployed through no fault of your own, meet the work history requirements, and actively search for work. The job search requirement is still 3 work search activities per week.
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Grace Johnson
•Wait, is it really 3 activities per week? I thought it was more than that. I've been doing 5 because I was scared they'd deny my claim.
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Aurora St.Pierre
•Yes, it's 3 work search activities per week minimum. You can certainly do more, and it might look better on your record, but 3 is the requirement for most claimants.
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Jayden Reed
I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone to ask about this same thing. Kept getting busy signals and automated hangups. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. The agent I spoke with confirmed that lower unemployment rates don't change individual eligibility, but they are seeing faster processing times since call volume is down.
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Aiden Chen
•That's interesting about the faster processing. How much did that service cost?
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Jayden Reed
•I don't want to get into specifics on pricing, but it was worth it to actually talk to someone instead of sitting on hold for hours. The faster processing time she mentioned was for straightforward claims - adjudication cases still take the same amount of time.
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Nora Brooks
Whatever the unemployment rate is, NYS Department of Labor is still a nightmare to deal with. Been fighting an overpayment notice for months and they keep giving me the runaround. The system is broken regardless of whether unemployment is up or down!
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Eli Wang
Just wanted to say good luck with your claim! I filed mine last month and it went pretty smoothly. The online system worked fine and I got approved in about 2 weeks.
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Miguel Alvarez
Thanks for all the helpful responses! I'm feeling more confident about filing now. It sounds like the actual unemployment rate doesn't really affect individual claims much, which makes sense. I was laid off due to company downsizing so I should meet the "no fault of your own" requirement. Good to know about the 3 work search activities per week - I'll make sure to document everything properly. @Eli Wang, it's encouraging to hear your claim went smoothly recently!
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