Suddenly thrust into unemployment - confused about NYS Department of Labor process
My company shut down operations last Friday with zero warning and I'm completely thrust into unemployment for the first time in my life. I'm 34 and have been working since college so this is all new territory for me. I tried filing on the NYS Department of Labor website but there's so many questions about my work history and I'm not sure if I'm answering them correctly. Do I need to report the severance they gave me? How long does it usually take to get approved? I'm honestly panicking about how I'm going to pay my mortgage next month.
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QuantumQuasar
I understand how overwhelming this must feel, but you're going to be okay. First, yes you do need to report any severance pay when filing your initial claim. The NYS Department of Labor will factor this into your benefit calculation. The good news is that sudden company closures usually qualify you for benefits without much delay since it's clearly not your fault. Make sure you have your last pay stub and any separation paperwork when you file.
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Andre Dupont
•Thank you so much for responding. I have all my paperwork ready. Should I wait until my severance runs out before filing or can I file now?
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Zoe Papanikolaou
File immediately! Don't wait for severance to run out. The NYS Department of Labor has a waiting week anyway, so you want to get that started as soon as possible. You'll report the severance and they'll determine how it affects your benefits, but at least you'll be in the system. Also start your job search right away because you'll need to log job contacts weekly once benefits begin.
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Andre Dupont
•Good point about the waiting week. I didn't realize there was a delay built in. Starting my job search today.
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Jamal Wilson
ugh i went through this exact same thing when my restaurant closed during the pandemic!! the worst part is trying to get through to someone at NYS Department of Labor when you have questions - their phone lines are constantly busy and you just get hung up on over and over again
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Mei Lin
•Actually, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you get through to NYS Department of Labor agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I used it when my claim got stuck in adjudication and finally got answers about what was holding it up. Way better than spending hours redialing.
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Liam Fitzgerald
Just want to say hang in there - being thrust into unemployment is scary but you'll figure it out. I was laid off last year and the anxiety was the worst part honestly. The actual process isn't as complicated as it seems at first.
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Amara Nnamani
The system is such garbage though. They make it so confusing ON PURPOSE so people give up and don't claim benefits. I had to file THREE TIMES because their website kept glitching and losing my information. And don't even get me started on the job search requirements - they want you to apply to jobs that don't even exist!!
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QuantumQuasar
•I know it's frustrating, but the job search requirements are actually pretty reasonable. You need 3 job contacts per week and they can include online applications, networking, or even attending job fairs. Keep good records because they do audit these sometimes.
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