What qualifies for unemployment benefits in NY? NYS Department of Labor eligibility confusion

You might actually qualify for unemployment benefits even though you quit. NYS Department of Labor considers reduced hours as 'constructive dismissal' if the reduction is substantial and indefinite. A cut from 40 to 15 hours weekly definitely qualifies. You'll need to show you had good cause for leaving - financial hardship from the hour reduction counts. For eligibility, you need sufficient work history (sounds like you have that) and must be able and available for work, which means actively seeking employment but you can be selective about the type of work as long as it's reasonable for your skills and experience.

yeah the able and available thing trips people up but its not as strict as it sounds. you can turn down jobs that pay way less than what you made before or are totally different field. just gotta show youre actually looking

I was in a similar situation last year where my restaurant cut everyone's hours due to 'restructuring' that never ended. Took me forever to get through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to verify my eligibility. The phone system is absolutely terrible - you'll sit on hold for hours just to get disconnected. I actually found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Made the whole process so much easier than trying to navigate their phone system myself.

For NYS Department of Labor unemployment eligibility, you need to meet both monetary and non-monetary requirements. Monetary means you earned enough in your base period (usually first 4 of last 5 completed quarters). Non-monetary includes being unemployed through no fault of your own, able and available for work, and actively seeking employment. Your situation with hour reduction should qualify as involuntary unemployment. You'll file weekly claims certifying you're looking for work and report any income. The job search requirement is typically 3 contacts per week but can vary.

ugh the whole system is so confusing and they make it hard on purpose!! i quit my job because my boss was harassing me and they still gave me a hard time about 'voluntary separation' even though i had documentation. took months to sort out. good luck with yours but prepare for a fight