What can you apply for unemployment benefits for in NY - confused about eligibility
I'm really confused about what situations actually qualify you to apply for unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor. I lost my job last month but I'm not sure if my specific situation counts. I was working part-time at a restaurant and they cut my hours down to basically nothing before letting me go. My friend said I might not qualify because it wasn't a "real" layoff but I've been paying into the system. Can someone explain what you can actually apply for unemployment for? I don't want to waste time filing if I'm not eligible.
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Yara Khoury
You can definitely apply! NYS Department of Labor covers several situations: job loss through no fault of your own (layoffs, business closures, position eliminations), significant reduction in work hours, and even some quits if you have good cause like unsafe working conditions or harassment. Part-time workers who lose their jobs are absolutely eligible as long as you meet the wage requirements.
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AstroAlpha
•That's such a relief! I was worried because I wasn't full-time. Do you know what the wage requirements are?
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Keisha Taylor
The main categories are: involuntary job loss (fired for non-misconduct reasons, laid off, company went out of business), constructive dismissal (forced to quit due to intolerable conditions), and partial unemployment (significant hour reductions). You need to have worked and earned wages in at least two quarters of your base period. Your restaurant situation sounds like it would qualify under partial unemployment initially, then job loss.
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Paolo Longo
•this is exactly what happened to me at my retail job - they cut everyone's hours to almost nothing then started letting people go
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Amina Bah
wait im confused about the partial unemployment thing... if your hours get cut can you still file for regular UI or is it different?? I thought you had to be completely unemployed
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Yara Khoury
•You can file for partial benefits if your hours are significantly reduced. NYS Department of Labor will calculate a partial benefit amount based on how much you're still earning versus your full benefit rate. It's the same application process.
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Oliver Becker
I had such a hard time getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about my eligibility situation. Kept getting busy signals and when I finally got through they hung up on me! Super frustrating when you just need basic information. I ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person at NYS Department of Labor. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. Made the whole process so much easier than trying to call yourself.
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AstroAlpha
•Interesting, never heard of that before. Did they charge you anything for it?
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Oliver Becker
•They do charge a fee but honestly it was worth it to actually talk to someone instead of wasting hours trying to get through. Way less stressful than the normal phone nightmare.
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CosmicCowboy
The whole system is ridiculous anyway. They make it so complicated to figure out if you even qualify and then the application process is a joke. I've been fighting with them for weeks over some stupid technicality about my last day of work.
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Paolo Longo
•ugh tell me about it... at least they finally got rid of some of the pandemic stuff that was making everything even more confusing
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Natasha Orlova
Just file the application! Worst case they deny it and you can appeal. Better to try than assume you don't qualify.
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