What makes ineligible for unemployment benefits in NY - confused about disqualification reasons
I got laid off from my warehouse job last month and applied for unemployment right away. But now I'm getting worried because I keep hearing about people getting denied or disqualified for reasons they didn't even know about. What exactly makes someone ineligible for unemployment benefits in New York? I worked there for 8 months and got laid off due to company downsizing, but I'm paranoid I might have done something wrong during the application process or that there's some rule I don't know about. Can someone explain the main reasons NYS Department of Labor would deny a claim?
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ApolloJackson
The main reasons for disqualification are: 1) Quitting without good cause, 2) Getting fired for misconduct, 3) Not being able and available for work, 4) Refusing suitable work without good cause, 5) Not meeting the wage/work requirements in your base period. Since you were laid off due to downsizing, that shouldn't disqualify you. The key is making sure you meet the monetary requirements and can prove you're actively looking for work.
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Grace Patel
•Thanks! What exactly are the wage requirements? I made about $18/hour but only worked 8 months, is that enough?
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Isabella Russo
they also look at your base period earnings... you need to have earned enough wages in at least 2 quarters of your base period and your total wages need to be at least 1.5 times what you earned in your highest quarter
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Rajiv Kumar
Don't forget about the work search requirements! You need to make at least 3 job contacts per week and keep a detailed log. If you're not doing that or if you turn down a job offer that's considered suitable, NYS Department of Labor can disqualify you. I've seen people lose their benefits for not keeping proper records of their job search activities.
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Grace Patel
•I've been applying to jobs but haven't been keeping a detailed log. Should I start doing that now or is it too late?
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Rajiv Kumar
•Start now! Better late than never. NYS Department of Labor can audit your job search activities at any time.
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Aria Washington
Had a friend who got disqualified because he didn't report some part-time work he did while collecting. Even small amounts of income need to be reported on your weekly claim. The system is really strict about that stuff.
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Liam O'Reilly
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check on your eligibility status, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me actually reach an agent. They have this video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Was way easier than trying to call myself and getting hung up on constantly.
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Chloe Delgado
•Never heard of that before, does it actually work? I've been trying to call for weeks about my adjudication status.
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Liam O'Reilly
•Yeah it worked for me. Got connected to an actual person who could explain why my claim was being reviewed instead of just guessing.
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Ava Harris
The whole system is designed to trip you up honestly. They'll find any excuse to deny benefits even when you legitimately deserve them. I got disqualified once because I missed ONE weekly claim certification deadline by like 6 hours. Had to go through the whole appeal process just to get my benefits back.
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Isabella Russo
•that's brutal... did the appeal work at least?
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Ava Harris
•Eventually yes but it took months and I had to provide tons of documentation. The whole thing was ridiculous.
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