What are the rules for collecting unemployment - NYS Department of Labor requirements?
I'm trying to understand all the rules for collecting unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor. My employer laid me off last month and I filed my claim but I want to make sure I'm following everything correctly. What are the main requirements I need to meet? I keep seeing different information online about job search requirements, weekly claims, and other stuff. Can someone break down the basic rules so I don't mess anything up?
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LunarEclipse
The main NYS Department of Labor rules are: 1) You must be unemployed through no fault of your own (layoffs, business closure, etc.) 2) You must be physically able to work and available for work 3) You must actively search for work and keep records 4) You must file your weekly claim every week 5) You must report any work or income. The job search requirement is 3 work search activities per week, which can include applying for jobs, networking, attending job fairs, etc. Make sure to keep detailed records of your search activities.
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Yara Khalil
•Thank you! Do I need to report volunteer work or just paid work? And what counts as a valid work search activity?
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Keisha Brown
Also important - you have to register with the NYS Department of Labor job site and keep your profile updated. If you refuse suitable work without good cause, you can lose benefits. 'Suitable work' generally means work in your field or related fields at a reasonable wage, but the definition can get complicated depending on how long you've been unemployed.
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Connor O'Neill
•What's considered a reasonable wage? Is it based on my previous salary or something else?
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Paolo Esposito
dont forget about the waiting week! theres no waiting week anymore in NY but some people still think there is. you get paid for your first week now as long as you file on time
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LunarEclipse
For getting through to NYS Department of Labor when you have questions about these rules, I had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me reach an actual agent who could explain the specific work search requirements for my situation. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Was much easier than trying to call the regular number.
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Amina Toure
•How much does that cost? I've been trying to get through for weeks about my adjudication.
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LunarEclipse
•It's worth checking out their site for details. For me it was helpful because I needed clarification on whether freelance work counted as 'suitable work' that I had to accept.
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Oliver Weber
The system is so confusing honestly. I've been collecting for 2 months and still not sure if I'm doing the job search thing right. They want 3 activities but what if you apply to 10 jobs in one day - does that count as 10 activities or just 1? And networking events - how do you even document those properly?
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Keisha Brown
•Each job application counts as one activity, so 10 applications = 10 activities. For networking, you document the event name, date, contacts made, etc. Keep it detailed.
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FireflyDreams
One thing that tripped me up - you have to report ANY income, even if it's just $20 from a side gig. I thought small amounts didn't matter but they reduce your benefits dollar for dollar after the first $50. Better to report everything than get hit with an overpayment later.
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