What are the main causes of unemployment - confused about NYS Department of Labor eligibility requirements
I'm trying to understand if I qualify for unemployment benefits and keep reading about different causes of unemployment. My company laid me off last month due to budget cuts, but I'm seeing all these different categories and requirements on the NYS Department of Labor website. Can someone explain what the main causes of unemployment are and how they affect eligibility? I want to make sure I'm filing correctly and not missing anything important.
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Romeo Barrett
The main causes that typically qualify for NYS Department of Labor benefits are: involuntary job loss (layoffs, company closure, position elimination), reduction in work hours through no fault of your own, and certain types of constructive discharge. Your layoff due to budget cuts should definitely qualify as long as you meet the other requirements like having enough work history and being able and available for work.
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Issac Nightingale
•Thank you! That's exactly what happened to me. Do I need to prove it was budget cuts or is the company's statement enough?
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Marina Hendrix
yeah i got laid off too and had no problems getting approved, just make sure you file your weekly claims on time
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Justin Trejo
There are actually several categories that affect how NYS Department of Labor processes your claim. Economic factors like company downsizing, technological changes that eliminate positions, seasonal work ending, and business closures are common qualifying causes. What doesn't typically qualify is voluntary resignation without good cause, termination for misconduct, or refusing suitable work. The key is proving the separation wasn't your fault.
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Alana Willis
•What if you quit because your boss was harassing you? Is that considered good cause or would they deny the claim?
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Justin Trejo
•That could qualify as constructive discharge if you can document the harassment and show you tried to resolve it through proper channels first. You'd need evidence though.
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Tyler Murphy
I had such a nightmare trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor when my claim went into adjudication because they weren't sure about my separation reason. Spent weeks calling and getting hung up on. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me so much stress dealing with the phone system.
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Issac Nightingale
•Really? I'm worried about my claim getting stuck too. How much does something like that cost?
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Tyler Murphy
•It's worth it when you're stuck and need answers. Much better than sitting on hold for hours just to get disconnected.
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Sara Unger
The unemployment system is so messed up honestly. They make it seem like there's all these different categories but really it just comes down to whether they want to approve you or not. I've seen people get denied for the stupidest reasons and others get approved when they probably shouldn't have.
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Butch Sledgehammer
From my experience, the most straightforward cases are mass layoffs, plant closures, and end of temporary assignments. Individual terminations get more scrutiny. Make sure you have documentation of your separation and be honest about the circumstances when you file.
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Issac Nightingale
•I have the layoff letter from HR mentioning budget constraints. Should that be enough documentation?
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