What is required to get unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor?
I'm thinking about filing for unemployment but honestly have no clue what the actual requirements are. My job ended last week and everyone keeps telling me different things about what you need to qualify. Some people say you need to work a certain amount of time, others mention something about wages? I tried looking on the ny.gov website but it's confusing with all the legal language. Can someone break down what NYS Department of Labor actually requires to get approved for UI benefits? I don't want to waste time applying if I don't even meet the basic requirements.
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AstroAlpha
The main NYS Department of Labor requirements are pretty straightforward. You need sufficient work history and wages in your base period (first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters), you must be unemployed through no fault of your own, and you have to be able and available for work. You also need to be actively searching for work once you start collecting. If you worked steadily for at least 6 months before losing your job, you'll probably qualify wage-wise.
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Connor Gallagher
•What counts as 'no fault of your own'? I wasn't fired but my position was eliminated due to budget cuts.
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Yara Khoury
Budget cuts definitely count as no fault of your own. You'll need to register for work search within 3 days of filing your claim and keep a log of your job search activities. NYS Department of Labor requires at least 3 work search contacts per week. Make sure you have your Social Security card, driver's license, and employment information for the last 18 months when you apply online.
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Keisha Taylor
•3 contacts per week seems like a lot... do they actually check this stuff?
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Yara Khoury
•Yes they can audit your work search log at any time. Better to keep detailed records than risk losing benefits.
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Paolo Longo
i got approved last year and it was pretty easy, just had to answer questions about why i lost my job and upload some documents. the hardest part was actually getting through to someone at NYS Department of Labor when my claim got stuck
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Connor Gallagher
•How long did it take to get approved once you filed?
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Paolo Longo
•took about 2 weeks but that was before they had all the backlogs
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Amina Bah
If you end up having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone (which happens a lot), I used a service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an agent. They have this system that calls for you and connects you when someone picks up. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call myself when I had questions about my claim status.
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Oliver Becker
•Never heard of this... does it actually work or is it just another scam?
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Amina Bah
•It's legit, you can check out claimyr.com. I was skeptical too but it actually got me through to someone at NYS Department of Labor after weeks of busy signals.
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CosmicCowboy
The system is so messed up though! They make you jump through all these hoops and then half the time your claim gets held up in adjudication for weeks with no explanation. I swear they design it to be confusing on purpose so people give up.
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Oliver Becker
Just apply online and see what happens. Worst case they deny you and you appeal. I've seen people get approved who thought they didn't qualify.
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