NYS Department of Labor - what are the three types of unemployment benefits available?
I'm trying to understand what unemployment options I have through NYS Department of Labor. My coworker mentioned there are three main types of unemployment but I'm getting confused by all the different terms. I was laid off from my retail job two weeks ago and want to make sure I'm applying for the right program. Can someone explain what are the three types of unemployment I might qualify for? I've been looking at the my.ny.gov site but it's not super clear about the differences.
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Michael Adams
The three main categories of unemployment that NYS Department of Labor recognizes are: 1) Structural unemployment - when your skills don't match available jobs, 2) Frictional unemployment - temporary period between jobs while you're searching, and 3) Cyclical unemployment - job loss due to economic downturns. For UI benefits though, you'll mainly be filing for regular unemployment insurance regardless of which type caused your job loss.
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Chloe Mitchell
•Thanks! So I don't need to specify which type when I file my claim? I just apply for regular UI benefits?
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Natalie Wang
Actually for NYS Department of Labor benefit purposes, you're probably thinking of regular UI, standby benefits, and partial unemployment. Regular UI is for when you're completely out of work. Standby is when your employer expects to recall you within a specific timeframe. Partial is when your hours are reduced but you're still working some. Since you were laid off from retail, you'd likely file for regular unemployment benefits.
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Noah Torres
•This is more helpful for actual filing. The economic theory stuff doesn't really matter when you're trying to get benefits.
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Samantha Hall
ugh trying to call NYS Department of Labor to ask these questions is impossible!! I've been trying for days to get through and either get busy signals or get disconnected after waiting forever. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to someone there about which benefits to apply for?
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Ryan Young
•I had the same problem until I found claimyr.com - they help you get through to NYS Department of Labor agents. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I was able to talk to someone within a few hours instead of calling for weeks. Really helped me understand my options and get my claim started properly.
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Samantha Hall
•That actually sounds helpful, thanks for sharing that!
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Sophia Clark
been on unemployment 3 times over the years and honestly they dont really care which 'type' it is - you just file a claim and they determine if you qualify based on your work history and why you lost the job. the whole process is pretty straightforward once you get started
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Chloe Mitchell
•Good to know it's not as complicated as I thought. I'll just start with the regular application then.
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