What are the criteria to qualify for unemployment benefits with NYS Department of Labor?

The main qualifications for NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits are: 1) You must have worked in covered employment and earned enough wages during your base period (first 4 of last 5 completed quarters), 2) You must be unemployed through no fault of your own (layoffs qualify, quitting usually doesn't), 3) You must be able and available to work, and 4) You must actively search for work. With 14 months of work and $38k earnings, you should meet the wage requirements. Since you were laid off, that meets the separation requirement too.

For the wage requirement, you need to have earned at least $2,600 in your highest quarter during the base period AND total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your high quarter amount. So if your highest quarter was $10,000, you'd need at least $15,000 total in base period wages. You can check your wage history on the my.ny.gov portal to see if you meet this.

Don't forget about the work search requirement! NYS Department of Labor requires you to make at least 3 work search contacts per week and keep a log. You also need to register with the jobs database. I learned this the hard way when my claim got flagged for not doing enough job searches in my second week.

If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check your eligibility or get your claim started, I had success using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you actually reach a live agent instead of sitting on hold forever. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Made the whole process way less stressful.

Also make sure you file your claim as soon as possible! There's no waiting period in NY but you can't get benefits for weeks before you file. Even if you're not 100% sure about eligibility, it's better to file and let NYS Department of Labor make the determination than to wait and lose potential benefit weeks.

One thing to keep in mind is that even though you were laid off due to budget cuts (which should qualify you), NYS Department of Labor will still verify the reason for separation with your employer. Make sure you have any documentation from your layoff - like a termination letter or email - in case there are any discrepancies. Also, if you received any severance pay, that might affect when your benefits start, so be sure to report it when you file. With your work history and earnings, you should definitely be eligible, so don't hesitate to apply!