What documents do I need to prove unemployment for NYS Department of Labor claim?
I'm preparing to file my unemployment claim and want to make sure I have all the right paperwork ready. What specific documents does NYS Department of Labor require to prove unemployment? I was laid off from my restaurant job last month and have my termination letter, but not sure what else I need. Should I get anything from HR before they process my final check? Really don't want delays because I missed something obvious.
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Yara Khoury
You'll need your termination letter (which you have), your Social Security card, driver's license or state ID, and employment history for the past 18 months including employer names, addresses, dates worked, and gross wages earned. If you have pay stubs from your last few weeks, bring those too. NYS Department of Labor will verify everything electronically but having documentation helps if there are discrepancies.
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Connor O'Reilly
•Thanks! I have most of that. Do I need the actual physical documents or will photos on my phone work for the online application?
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Keisha Taylor
For the initial claim filing, you can use photos or scanned copies when applying online through my.ny.gov. But keep the originals because if your claim goes into adjudication, NYS Department of Labor might request physical copies. Also get your bank account info ready for direct deposit setup - routing and account numbers.
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StardustSeeker
•definitely keep originals!! my claim got stuck in adjudication for weeks because they wanted to verify my termination letter and I only had a blurry phone photo
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Paolo Marino
I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor when I needed to submit additional documents during my adjudication process. After weeks of busy signals, I found claimyr.com which got me through to an actual agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really saved me when I was stressed about my claim being delayed.
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Connor O'Reilly
•How much does that service cost? Seems almost too good to be true getting through that fast.
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Paolo Marino
•It's worth it when you're dealing with time-sensitive claim issues. Much better than spending hours trying to get through on your own.
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Amina Bah
restaurant industry is rough right now... been there. make sure you have your W-2 from last year too, sometimes they ask for it to verify your base period wages
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Oliver Becker
Wait I'm confused - do I need to prove I'm unemployed or prove I WAS employed? Because I thought the whole point is that I don't have a job anymore so how do I prove a negative? This system makes no sense.
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Yara Khoury
•You need to prove your employment history and the reason you became unemployed. NYS Department of Labor needs to verify you earned enough wages during your base period to qualify for benefits and that your job separation wasn't due to misconduct.
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