What is the process for unemployment benefits in NY - confused about NYS Department of Labor steps

The basic process is: 1) File your initial claim on labor.ny.gov within the first week after your last day of work, 2) Complete your weekly certification every week (even while waiting for approval), 3) Meet job search requirements (3 work search activities per week), 4) Wait for adjudication if there are any issues with your claim. You'll need your SSN, employment history for the last 18 months, and reason for separation. Most straightforward claims get approved within 2-3 weeks, but if there's an issue it can take longer.

dont file early whatever you do, they will deny you for still being employed. wait until your actual last day then file immediately. the job search thing is annoying but you need to log 3 activities per week - applying for jobs, networking events, job fairs, etc. keep detailed records because they might audit you

One thing to prepare for - if your employer contests your claim (says you were fired for misconduct or quit voluntarily), your claim will go into adjudication and you won't get paid until NYS Department of Labor investigates. This can add weeks or even months to the process. If you can't reach an adjudicator by phone and your claim is stuck, there are services like Claimyr (claimyr.com) that can help you get through to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI

I went through this whole process last year when my company downsized. The hardest part honestly was keeping up with the weekly certifications - you HAVE to do them every week even if your claim is still pending or you'll lose benefits for those weeks. Set a reminder on your phone because they don't send notifications and if you miss a week you can't go back and certify for it later.

The whole system is set up to discourage you from applying. They make it as confusing and frustrating as possible hoping you'll just give up. Took me 6 weeks to get my first payment even though I did everything right. NYS Department of Labor acts like they're doing you a favor when it's YOUR money that you paid into through payroll taxes.

also make sure you understand the waiting week - you dont get paid for your first week even if everything goes smoothly. so if you file on week 1, you wont see money until week 3 at the earliest