Which of the following best defines unemployment for NYS Department of Labor claims?
I'm filling out my initial unemployment application and there's a question asking 'which of the following best defines unemployment' with multiple choice answers. I'm confused because I thought unemployment was just being out of work, but apparently there are specific definitions that affect your claim eligibility. Does anyone know what NYS Department of Labor considers the correct definition? I don't want to mess this up and delay my claim.
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Chloe Zhang
For NYS Department of Labor purposes, unemployment means you're able to work, available for work, and actively seeking employment. It's not just being out of a job - you have to meet all three criteria. If you're disabled, in school full-time, or not looking for work, you might not qualify even if you lost your job.
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Sophia Carter
•That makes sense! So even if I got laid off, I still need to prove I'm actively job searching?
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Brandon Parker
yeah basically you gotta be ready willing and able to work immediately if someone offers you a job, plus doing job search activities every week
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Adriana Cohn
The technical definition also includes that your unemployment must be through no fault of your own. If you were fired for misconduct or quit without good cause, NYS Department of Labor might disqualify you even if you meet the other requirements. Make sure you understand why your employment ended before answering.
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Jace Caspullo
•Wait, what counts as 'good cause' for quitting? I left my last job because my boss was horrible but I'm worried they'll say that's not a valid reason.
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Melody Miles
I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about my application definitions. After getting hung up on multiple times, I found 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 showing how it works. Really saved me time instead of calling all day.
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Sophia Carter
•That's interesting, I might need to check that out if I can't get through myself. Thanks for sharing!
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
Just pick the most obvious answer honestly, they're not trying to trick you on the basic definitions. The real scrutiny comes later during adjudication if there are any issues with your claim.
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