NYS Department of Labor weekly claim questions and answers - need help understanding requirements
I've been filing my weekly claims for about 6 weeks now but I keep getting confused by some of the questions. Specifically the one about 'did you refuse any work' and 'did you make any job contacts' - I'm not sure if volunteer work counts as refusing work, and do online applications count as job contacts? Also what happens if I answer something wrong by accident? My friend said you can get disqualified for months if you mess up the weekly claim questions. Can someone explain what each question is really asking for?
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Emma Anderson
The weekly claim questions are pretty straightforward once you understand what NYS Department of Labor is looking for. 'Refusing work' means you turned down a legitimate job offer that was suitable for your skills and pay range. Volunteer work isn't considered refusing work since it's not paid employment. For job contacts, yes online applications definitely count - you should be documenting those in your job search log anyway since you need to show 3 job search activities per week.
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Javier Morales
•Thank you! So if I apply online and don't hear back, that still counts as a job contact for the weekly claim?
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Malik Thompson
yeah i messed up my weekly claim answers once and nothing happened, just kept filing the next week normally
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Isabella Ferreira
You can actually correct errors on your weekly claims by calling NYS Department of Labor or filing an amended claim. The key questions to be careful with are about work refusal, availability for work, and earnings. If you're working part-time while collecting UI, make sure you report all earnings even if it's just a few hours. The system will calculate your partial benefit amount automatically.
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CosmicVoyager
•Wait, I thought you couldn't work at all while on unemployment? I've been afraid to take any part-time jobs because I didn't want to lose my benefits completely.
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Isabella Ferreira
•No, you can work part-time and still collect partial unemployment benefits. NYS Department of Labor just reduces your weekly benefit based on what you earn. It's actually encouraged since it helps you transition back to full employment.
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Ravi Kapoor
I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor when I needed to clarify some weekly claim questions last month. Kept getting busy signals and the online chat never worked. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really saved me from stressing about whether I was answering the questions correctly.
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Javier Morales
•How much does something like that cost? I might need to talk to someone too if I keep having questions.
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Ravi Kapoor
•It was worth it for me since I was worried about my claim getting messed up. Much easier than spending hours trying to get through on my own.
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Freya Nielsen
The job search requirement questions always trip me up too. Like if I go to a job fair, does that count as one contact or multiple? And what about networking events or informational interviews?
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Emma Anderson
•Job fairs typically count as one job search activity unless you have documented contact with specific employers. Networking events and informational interviews definitely count as long as they're related to finding employment in your field.
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Omar Mahmoud
The worst part about these weekly claim questions is that they never explain what happens if you get it wrong until AFTER you've already been disqualified or overpaid. The NYS Department of Labor system should give you warnings or explanations before you submit, not weeks later when they decide to audit your claim.
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Malik Thompson
•exactly! like why can't they just make the questions clearer instead of making us guess what they want
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