What is unemployment eligibility status claimant exhaustee on NYS Department of Labor account?
I just checked my my.ny.gov account and my unemployment eligibility status changed to 'claimant exhaustee' but I have no idea what this means. I've been collecting unemployment for about 24 weeks and was expecting to continue filing my weekly claims. Did I hit some kind of limit? The NYS Department of Labor website doesn't explain this status clearly. Has anyone else seen this on their account? I'm really confused about whether I can still file claims or if my benefits are completely done.
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Ian Armstrong
The 'claimant exhaustee' status means you've used up all 26 weeks of your regular unemployment benefits for your benefit year. In New York, you get a maximum of 26 weeks of regular UI benefits unless there are extended benefits available. Once you hit that 26-week limit, your status changes to exhaustee. You can't file any more weekly claims on that benefit year unless Congress authorizes extended benefits, which isn't happening right now.
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Molly Chambers
•So I'm completely done? No more benefits at all? This is terrible timing since I still haven't found work.
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Eli Butler
Yeah exhaustee means you're done with that benefit year. But here's what you can do - if you worked enough after your original claim started, you might be able to file a new claim for a new benefit year. The NYS Department of Labor will look at your wages from the last 18 months to see if you qualify for a fresh 26 weeks. You need to have worked and earned enough wages during your benefit year to establish a new claim.
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Molly Chambers
•I did work part-time for a few months while collecting benefits. How do I know if that's enough to start a new claim?
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Eli Butler
•You need to have earned at least 10 times your weekly benefit rate in wages during your benefit year. So if your WBR was $300, you'd need $3,000 in wages. If you meet that, you can file a new application online.
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Marcus Patterson
Wait I'm confused about this whole exhaustee thing. I thought unemployment was supposed to last longer than 26 weeks? My friend in another state got like 39 weeks. Why is New York only 26?
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Ian Armstrong
•Regular state unemployment is 26 weeks maximum in New York. Some states have different durations. Extended benefits only kick in during high unemployment periods, and we're not in that situation right now. During the pandemic there were federal programs like PEUC that extended benefits, but those ended in 2021.
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Lydia Bailey
I had the same exhaustee status show up last month and couldn't get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor to explain it. Spent hours on hold just to get disconnected. Finally used claimyr.com to get connected to an actual agent who explained my options. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. The agent confirmed I could file a new claim because I had enough wages from part-time work during my benefit year.
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Molly Chambers
•That sounds helpful, I've been trying to call for days without getting through. Did they charge you a lot for that service?
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Lydia Bailey
•It was worth it to actually talk to someone who could look at my account and give me real answers instead of just guessing from online forums. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.
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Mateo Warren
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO CONFUSE PEOPLE! They don't want you to know about filing new claims after exhaustee status because they're hoping you'll just give up and stop collecting. I had to figure this out completely on my own because nobody at NYS Department of Labor bothered to explain my options when I hit 26 weeks.
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Sofia Price
•Same here! No notification or explanation when my status changed to exhaustee. Had to research everything myself to find out I could potentially file a new claim.
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Alice Coleman
thanks for asking this question, I was wondering the same thing about exhaustee status but was too embarrassed to ask
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TechNinja
Don't feel embarrassed at all @Alice Coleman! This exhaustee status is confusing and poorly explained by NYS DOL. I'm in a similar boat - hit my 26 weeks recently and had no idea what came next. From reading everyone's responses here, it sounds like the key is figuring out if you earned enough wages during your benefit year to qualify for a new claim. I worked some gig jobs while collecting so I'm hoping that might be enough. Going to try filing a new application online this week. Really wish the state would send out clearer notifications about your options when you hit exhaustee status instead of leaving people to figure it out themselves.
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