What are the requirements to draw unemployment in New York - NYS Department of Labor eligibility?

The main requirements for NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits are: 1) You must have worked and earned wages in at least two quarters during your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters), 2) You must have earned at least $2,600 in your highest quarter, 3) Your total base period wages must be at least 1.5 times your highest quarter earnings, 4) You must be unemployed through no fault of your own (layoffs, company closure, etc.), 5) You must be able and available to work, and 6) You must actively search for work. With 8 months of work you should meet the wage requirements if you were working full-time.

For the job search requirement, you need to make at least 3 work search contacts per week and keep a detailed log. This can include applying for jobs online, contacting employers directly, attending job fairs, or networking activities. NYS Department of Labor has specific guidelines about what counts - just browsing job sites doesn't qualify, you actually have to apply or make contact. You'll need to certify your weekly claims and confirm you've done your job searches.

dont forget you also cant quit your job and get unemployment, has to be involuntary like layoff or firing for non-misconduct reasons. if you quit you usually dont qualify unless its for very specific reasons like unsafe working conditions or harassment

One thing that really helped me when I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone was using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They can get you connected to an actual agent to verify your eligibility or ask specific questions about your situation. There's a good video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours or getting hung up on.

Also make sure you file your weekly claims every week even if your initial claim is still being processed or in adjudication. Missing weeks can cause you to lose benefits for those periods and you usually can't go back and claim them later. The NYS Department of Labor system is pretty strict about this timing requirement.