What happens after 12 weeks of unemployment benefits in NY?
I've been collecting unemployment for almost 11 weeks now and I'm getting worried about what comes next. Does NYS Department of Labor automatically cut you off after 12 weeks or do I need to do something? I keep hearing different things from people - some say there's extensions available and others say you're done after your initial claim period. My benefit year still shows several months left but I'm not sure if that matters. Has anyone here gone past 12 weeks? What should I expect?
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Jeremiah Brown
You're confusing the 12-week work search requirement with your total benefit duration. In NY, you can collect for up to 26 weeks (or until your benefit year ends, whichever comes first). The 12 weeks you're thinking of is probably related to the work search requirements where you need to document your job search activities. As long as you're filing your weekly claims and meeting all requirements, you should continue receiving benefits.
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JacksonHarris
•Oh thank god, I was panicking! So I just keep filing my weekly claims like normal? I've been doing the job search stuff every week anyway.
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Royal_GM_Mark
Yeah I'm at week 15 right now and still getting paid. The only thing that changes is they might ask for more documentation of your job search activities. I had to submit my job search log around week 14 when they did a random audit thing.
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JacksonHarris
•Did they give you advance notice about the audit or did it just show up in your account?
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Royal_GM_Mark
•It showed up when I was filing my weekly claim - just asked me to upload my job search records from the past 4 weeks.
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Amelia Cartwright
I had issues around week 13 where my payments got held up because NYS Department of Labor wanted to verify I was still able and available for work. Took about 2 weeks to resolve even though I was doing everything right. If you run into problems reaching them by phone, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.
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Chris King
•How much does something like that cost? I've been trying to call for weeks about my adjudication issue.
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Amelia Cartwright
•It's worth checking out their site for details, but honestly after spending days trying to get through on my own, it was a relief to actually talk to someone who could help resolve the hold on my benefits.
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Rachel Clark
ugh the whole system is confusing. i thought you got kicked off after 3 months but my cousin has been on it for like 6 months last year?? makes no sense
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Jeremiah Brown
•Your cousin might have been on extended benefits or pandemic programs that were available in 2020-2022. Regular unemployment in NY is up to 26 weeks now.
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Zachary Hughes
Just keep filing and don't overthink it. The system will tell you if there's a problem. I made it through my full 26 weeks last year without any issues as long as I kept up with the weekly claims and job search requirements.
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