What is no fault of your own unemployment - NYS Department of Labor eligibility question

No fault of your' own is basically the main requirement for getting unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor. It means you lost your job through no action or misconduct on your part. Layoffs, company closures, downsizing - these all qualify. What'doesn t qualify is if you were fired for misconduct, quit without good cause, or refused suitable work. Since you were laid off due to budget cuts, that definitely falls 'under no fault of your' own so you should befine.

yeah basically if the company fires you for being late all the time or stealing or whatever, that's your fault so no unemployment. but if they just don't have work for you anymore that's not your fault

The NYS Department of Labor will verify the reason for separation with your employer during the adjudication process. Keep that layoff letter handy - it's good documentation. They might also ask for details about your last few weeks of work to make sure there weren't any performance issues that led to you being selected for the layoff. As long as it was purely business reasons and not related to your job performance, you'll meet the 'no fault of your own' requirement.

I had a similar situation where I was worried about this exact thing. Took forever to get through to NYS Department of Labor to get clarification and kept getting conflicting information from different reps. Finally found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helps you actually reach a real person at the unemployment office. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Made it so much easier to get my questions answered about eligibility requirements.

The 'no fault of your own' thing is pretty straightforward but NYS Department of Labor makes everything sound more complicated than it needs to be. Basically if you didn't quit and you didn't get fired for doing something wrong, you're good. Layoffs definitely count since the company decided they didn't need your position anymore through no fault of yours.

Just wanted to add that even though layoffs are clearly "no fault of your own," it's still worth understanding the other scenarios that qualify. Things like company closure, reduction in force, end of seasonal work, or even constructive discharge (where working conditions become so bad you're forced to quit) can all meet the requirement. The key is that the separation from employment wasn't due to your actions or misconduct. Keep all your documentation from the layoff - not just the letter but any emails about the budget cuts or downsizing. It helps paint a clear picture that this was a business decision, not performance-related.

One thing that might help put your mind at ease is that NYS Department of Labor has pretty clear guidelines about what constitutes "fault" versus "no fault." Since you mentioned you were laid off due to budget cuts, that's actually one of the most clear-cut examples of "no fault of your own" - the company made a business decision that had nothing to do with your performance or behavior. The department looks at whether the separation was due to misconduct, voluntary quit without good cause, or refusal of suitable work. None of those apply to your situation. Budget-related layoffs are routine approvals as long as you meet the other eligibility requirements like work history and wage requirements.