Who does unemployment affect - concerned about my family's situation
I'm trying to understand who unemployment really affects because my situation is getting complicated. I lost my job 2 months ago and have been collecting UI benefits through NYS Department of Labor, but now my spouse is worried about losing their job too. We have two kids and I'm wondering how unemployment affects families like ours. Does it impact your credit? What about kids' school programs that depend on income verification? I've been doing my weekly claims and job search requirements but honestly I'm scared about the bigger picture of how this affects everyone in our household.
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Drew Hathaway
Unemployment affects way more people than just the person filing claims. In your case, it impacts your entire household financially. Your kids might qualify for free or reduced lunch programs now. Your spouse needs to understand that if they lose their job too, they'd file separately through NYS Department of Labor. The good news is unemployment benefits usually don't directly hurt your credit score unless you have overpayments that go to collections.
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Sadie Benitez
•Thank you! I didn't think about the school lunch program. Should I update their income verification forms now or wait?
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Laila Prince
unemployment affects EVERYONE not just the person getting benefits... your neighbors, local businesses, the whole community feels it when lots of people are out of work
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Isabel Vega
From a practical standpoint, unemployment affects your household budget, your health insurance if it was through your employer, and your retirement contributions. Make sure you're keeping up with your weekly claims and job search log. If your spouse does lose their job, they'll need to file their own claim through my.ny.gov - each person files individually even if you're married.
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Dominique Adams
•This is so true about health insurance. I had to switch to COBRA when I lost my job and it's expensive. NYS Department of Labor doesn't help with that unfortunately.
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Marilyn Dixon
I was in a similar situation last year with my family. The stress affects everyone - kids pick up on the tension even if you don't tell them what's happening. But there are resources. Contact 211 for local assistance programs. Also if you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor about your claim status or have questions, I used a 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.
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Sadie Benitez
•How does that service work exactly? I've been trying to call NYS Department of Labor for weeks about a potential issue with my claim.
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Marilyn Dixon
•It basically calls for you and gets you connected to a real person at NYS Department of Labor. Saved me hours of trying to get through myself.
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Louisa Ramirez
ugh the whole system is broken... unemployment affects working people too because our taxes pay for it and then when we need it the system doesn't work properly
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TommyKapitz
Don't forget unemployment affects your future job prospects too if you're not strategic about it. Use this time for networking and skill building. Keep detailed records of your job search activities beyond what NYS Department of Labor requires.
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