What happens when your benefit year ends with unemployment - NYS Department of Labor question
My benefit year is ending next month and I'm still unemployed. I've been collecting UI for almost the full year but haven't found steady work yet. What exactly happens when the benefit year ends? Do I automatically get a new claim or do I have to reapply? I'm worried about gaps in payments since I still need the income. Has anyone been through this process with NYS Department of Labor recently?
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AstroAdventurer
When your benefit year ends, you'll need to file a new initial claim if you're still unemployed. NYS Department of Labor doesn't automatically roll you over. You should apply about a week before your current benefit year expires to avoid any payment delays. Make sure you have recent work history and wage information ready - they'll need to establish a new base period for calculating your weekly benefit amount.
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Jamal Carter
•Do I need to have worked during this past year to qualify for a new claim? I've only had a few short temp jobs that didn't last more than a couple weeks each.
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Mei Liu
yeah this happened to me last year, you definitely have to reapply. the tricky part is they look at your wages from a different time period for the new claim so your weekly amount might change
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Jamal Carter
•Did your weekly benefit amount go up or down when you reapplied?
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Mei Liu
•mine went down because my highest earning quarters were older by then. but at least i qualified for a new year of benefits
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Liam O'Sullivan
The key thing to understand is that NYS Department of Labor uses a different base period when you file your new claim. For your current claim, they probably used wages from about 15-18 months ago. For the new claim, they'll look at more recent wages, which might include some of the period when you were unemployed. If you didn't earn enough in qualifying quarters, you might not be eligible for a new regular UI claim.
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Amara Chukwu
•What happens if you don't qualify for a new regular claim? Are there other options or do you just lose benefits completely?
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Liam O'Sullivan
•If you don't qualify for regular UI, you might be eligible for extended benefits if unemployment rates are high enough, but those programs aren't always available. Otherwise, you'd need to look into other assistance programs.
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Giovanni Conti
I tried calling NYS Department of Labor about this same question last month and could never get through! The hold times are insane and then they just hang up on you. So frustrating when you need answers about something this important.
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Fatima Al-Hashimi
•I had the same problem with getting through to NYS Department of Labor until someone told me about Claimyr. It's a service that helps you actually reach an agent - you can check it out at claimyr.com. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I was able to get my benefit year questions answered within a couple days instead of weeks of trying to call myself.
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NeonNova
omg the NYS Department of Labor system is such a mess. why can't they just automatically continue benefits if you're still unemployed??? makes no sense to put people through all this paperwork again
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AstroAdventurer
•I understand the frustration, but they need to recalculate eligibility and benefit amounts based on more recent work history. The system is designed to encourage people to return to work and ensure benefits are based on current wage patterns.
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Steven Adams
Just went through this exact situation in January. You definitely need to file a new claim - don't wait until the last minute! I made that mistake and had a 2-week gap in payments. The good news is that if you qualify, your new benefit year starts fresh with up to 26 weeks of benefits again. But like others mentioned, your weekly amount could change depending on your wages during the new base period. I'd recommend applying online about 10 days before your current benefit year expires to give yourself some buffer time for processing.
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Natalie Adams
•Thanks for sharing your experience Steven! That's really helpful to know about the 2-week gap. Did you have to provide all the same documentation when you reapplied, or was the process streamlined since you were already in their system? Also, when you say apply 10 days before - is that 10 days before your benefit year end date or before your last weekly certification?
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Ellie Kim
I'm in a similar situation - my benefit year ends in about 6 weeks and I'm really nervous about the whole reapplication process. From reading everyone's responses, it sounds like the key is to apply early and be prepared for potential changes to your weekly benefit amount. Does anyone know if there are specific documents I should start gathering now to make the reapplication smoother? I want to avoid any delays since I'm still actively job searching but haven't found anything steady yet.
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