What type of unemployment benefits do I qualify for after being laid off by NYS Department of Labor standards?
I just got laid off from my manufacturing job yesterday and I'm completely lost about what comes next. My supervisor said it was due to reduced orders and they had to cut 15 people from our shift. I've never filed for unemployment before and I keep seeing different terms thrown around - regular UI, standby, able and available status. What type of unemployment am I eligible for when it's a straight layoff? Do I need to do anything special since they said there's a chance of being called back in a few months? I've been working there for 3 years full-time.
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Carter Holmes
Since you were laid off through no fault of your own, you'll qualify for regular unemployment insurance (UI) benefits through NYS Department of Labor. The fact that there's potential recall doesn't change your initial eligibility - you're not on standby status unless your employer specifically requests that and you agree to it. You'll need to file your claim as soon as possible and then file weekly claims certifying you're able, available, and actively seeking work.
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Mia Alvarez
•Thank you! So I don't automatically get put on standby just because they mentioned possible recall? I should file as regular UI?
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Sophia Long
Regular unemployment is what you want. Standby is totally different - that's when you're temporarily laid off but expected back within a specific timeframe and your employer files for it. Since you said they laid off 15 people due to reduced orders, that sounds like indefinite layoffs which means regular UI. You'll need to do the job search requirements too unless they put you on standby later.
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Angelica Smith
•wait i thought if theres any chance of going back you cant collect unemployment?? this is confusing
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Sophia Long
•No, that's not correct. You can collect regular UI even if there's a possibility of recall. The key difference is whether it's a definite temporary layoff with a specific return date (standby) or an indefinite layoff due to business conditions (regular UI).
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Logan Greenburg
I was in a similar situation last year when I got laid off from my warehouse job. Took me forever to get through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to ask these same questions. If you're having trouble reaching them by phone, I recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually gets you connected to agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really helped me get my questions answered about my claim status when I couldn't get through the regular way.
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Charlotte Jones
•How much does something like that cost? I'm already stressed about money.
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Logan Greenburg
•I found it worth it just to get clarity on my situation instead of worrying for weeks. The peace of mind was valuable to me, but everyone's situation is different.
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Lucas Bey
ugh the whole system is so confusing, they make it impossible to understand on purpose i swear. when i got laid off i spent hours on their website trying to figure out what forms to fill out
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Harper Thompson
Same thing happened to me in 2023 - company said 'temporary reduction in workforce' but it ended up being permanent. I filed for regular UI and it worked out fine. Even if they do call you back, you can always stop claiming benefits at that point.
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