Who determines if you get unemployment benefits in New York - confused about NYS Department of Labor process
I'm really confused about how the whole unemployment approval process works. I filed my claim three weeks ago and it's been sitting in adjudication status ever since. I keep wondering - who exactly at NYS Department of Labor is looking at my case and making the decision? Is it just one person or a committee? How do they decide if I qualify or not? I worked for the same company for 2 years before getting laid off due to budget cuts, so I thought this would be straightforward. But now I'm second-guessing everything and wondering if there's something wrong with my application.
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Chloe Harris
The NYS Department of Labor has claims examiners who review each case individually. They look at your work history, reason for separation, and verify the information with your employer. For a standard layoff, it should be pretty straightforward - they just need to confirm you were laid off through no fault of your own and that you meet the wage requirements. The adjudication process can take 2-6 weeks depending on their current workload.
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CosmicCadet
•Thanks for explaining that! Do you know if I can find out who my specific examiner is or get an update on where they are in the process?
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Diego Mendoza
ugh the whole system is so opaque! i was in adjudication for like 5 weeks last year and never got any explanation of what was taking so long. finally got approved but by then i was behind on rent
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Anastasia Popova
You can try calling the NYS Department of Labor claims center to get a status update, but honestly the wait times are brutal. I've had better luck using a service called Claimyr that helps you get through to an actual agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I was able to get my adjudication issue resolved in a day after weeks of trying to call myself.
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Sean Flanagan
•Never heard of that service before. Is it legit? Seems too good to be true if the regular phone lines are so backed up.
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Anastasia Popova
•Yeah it's legitimate - they basically handle the calling and waiting for you so you don't have to sit on hold. Saved me hours of frustration.
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Zara Shah
The decision makers are just regular NYS Department of Labor employees, but they have pretty strict guidelines they follow. For layoffs, they mainly verify that your employer confirms the reason for separation and that you earned enough wages in your base period. Sometimes they need additional documentation which can cause delays.
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NebulaNomad
Does anyone know what happens if they deny your initial claim? Can you appeal or are you just out of luck?
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Chloe Harris
•You can definitely appeal! You have 30 days from the determination notice to file an appeal with the NYS Department of Labor. The appeal goes to an administrative law judge who reviews the case fresh.
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