When did unemployment start in NY - trying to understand my claim timeline
I'm really confused about my unemployment claim timeline and when everything actually started. I lost my job back in early December but didn't file right away because I thought I might get called back. Finally submitted my application on December 18th and it's been almost 3 weeks now with no payments. My claim shows as active but I'm not sure if the effective date is when I lost my job or when I filed? I've been doing my weekly claims but nothing is coming through. Does anyone know how NYS Department of Labor calculates when your unemployment actually starts? I'm getting stressed about my rent payment coming up.
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QuantumQuasar
Your unemployment benefit year starts the Sunday of the week you filed your initial claim, not when you lost your job. So if you filed December 18th, your effective date would be December 15th (the Sunday before). However, you can only get paid for weeks you're actually unemployed and filed weekly claims for. The 3-week delay sounds like your claim might be in adjudication - check your my.ny.gov account for any outstanding issues that need verification.
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Andre Dupont
•Thanks! I checked and it does show adjudication in progress but doesn't say what they need from me. Should I just keep waiting?
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Zoe Papanikolaou
ugh the same thing happened to me last month, took forever to get through adjudication even though i didnt do anything wrong. just had to wait it out but it was super stressful
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Jamal Wilson
•How long did yours take? I'm in week 4 of adjudication and starting to panic about bills.
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Mei Lin
The adjudication process can take 4-6 weeks unfortunately. If you need to speak with someone at NYS Department of Labor directly, I had luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through their phone lines. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call and getting busy signals.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Never heard of that service but might be worth trying if the wait gets much longer. The NYS Department of Labor phone system is absolutely terrible.
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Amara Nnamani
Just to clarify - unemployment insurance in NY was actually established in 1935 as part of the Social Security Act, but I think you're asking about your personal claim timeline rather than the historical origins of the program! Your benefit year runs for 52 weeks from your effective date, and you can collect up to 26 weeks of benefits during that period.
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Andre Dupont
•Haha yes I meant my claim specifically, not the whole system! Good to know about the 26 week limit though.
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Giovanni Mancini
Keep doing your weekly claims even during adjudication! If they approve your claim retroactively you'll get paid for all those weeks you certified for. Don't skip any weeks or you'll lose those benefits permanently.
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