What to put for unemployment reason when filing NYS Department of Labor claim - need guidance
I'm filling out my initial unemployment application on the NYS Department of Labor website and I'm stuck on the section where it asks for the reason I'm unemployed. I was let go from my retail job last month because they said business was slow and they had to reduce staff. They didn't give me a specific termination letter, just told me it was a layoff due to lack of work. Should I select 'laid off' or 'lack of work' or something else? I don't want to mess this up and delay my claim. Has anyone dealt with this before?
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Diego Vargas
For your situation, you should select 'lack of work' since that's exactly what happened. When employers reduce staff due to slow business, that's considered lack of work rather than a traditional layoff. The NYS Department of Labor will verify this with your employer anyway, so just be honest about what they told you.
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Chloe Anderson
•Thanks! Should I write anything specific in the explanation box or just keep it simple?
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CosmicCruiser
same thing happened to me at my restaurant job, just put lack of work and explain briefly that they reduced staff due to slow business
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Anastasia Fedorov
Make sure you're accurate because the NYS Department of Labor will contact your employer to verify the separation reason. If there's any mismatch between what you put and what your employer reports, it could trigger adjudication which delays your benefits. In the description field, just write something like 'Position eliminated due to reduced business needs' - keep it factual and brief.
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Sean Doyle
•This is so important! I put the wrong reason initially and my claim got stuck in adjudication for weeks while they sorted it out.
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Zara Rashid
I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about my separation reason during adjudication. Ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Made the whole process way easier than trying to call myself.
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Luca Romano
•How much does something like that cost? I'm already unemployed and watching every penny.
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Zara Rashid
•They focus on just getting you connected to agents rather than charging a ton. Way better than spending hours on hold or getting disconnected constantly.
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Nia Jackson
The NYS Department of Labor system is so confusing with all these different categories! I spent forever trying to figure out if being 'furloughed indefinitely' counted as laid off or what. Turns out it didn't matter as much as I thought because they verify everything anyway.
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Oliver Cheng
I went through this exact same situation with NYS DOL last year. Definitely go with "lack of work" as Diego mentioned - that's the correct category for staff reduction due to slow business. In the explanation box, keep it simple and factual: "Position eliminated due to reduced business/staffing needs" works perfectly. Don't overthink it! The key is being consistent with what your employer will tell them when they verify. Good luck with your claim!
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Nolan Carter
•That's really helpful to know you went through the same thing! I'm feeling much more confident about selecting "lack of work" now. Did you have any issues with the verification process, or did it go smoothly once you submitted everything correctly?
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CosmicCruiser
Just went through this process myself a few months ago! I was in retail too and got let go for the same reason - slow business, staff reduction. I selected "lack of work" and wrote "Position eliminated due to business slowdown and staff reduction" in the explanation. The whole thing went through without any issues. The NYS DOL verified with my employer and everything matched up perfectly. Don't stress too much about the exact wording - just be honest and straightforward about what happened. Your situation sounds very straightforward for unemployment benefits.
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