Who pays unemployment for federal employees in NY - NYS Department of Labor or different system?
I just got laid off from my federal job at the postal service here in NY and I'm confused about where to file for unemployment. Do federal employees go through NYS Department of Labor like everyone else or is there a separate federal system? I've been working for USPS for 8 years and never had to think about this before. My supervisor mentioned something about UCFE but I have no idea what that means. Has anyone here dealt with federal employee unemployment in New York? I'm worried I'm going to file in the wrong place and delay everything.
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Elijah O'Reilly
Federal employees file through the regular NYS Department of Labor system just like state and private sector workers. UCFE stands for Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees - that's the program name but you still file your claim through the normal my.ny.gov portal. The difference is that the federal government reimburses NYS Department of Labor for your benefits instead of your employer paying unemployment taxes. Your claim process will be exactly the same as any other unemployment claim.
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Natalie Adams
•Oh thank you! So I just go to the regular NYS Department of Labor website and file like normal? Do I need any special paperwork from USPS?
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Elijah O'Reilly
•Yes, file through the standard NYS Department of Labor process. You'll need your SF-8 or SF-50 form from USPS showing your separation, but the online application will tell you exactly what documents to upload. Make sure to report your federal wages accurately - sometimes the wage verification takes a bit longer for federal employees but it shouldn't delay your initial claim filing.
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Amara Torres
same situation happened to my brother last year when he got riffed from his VA job, he filed through regular NYS Department of Labor and it worked fine. took about the same time as anyone else to get approved
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Natalie Adams
•That's reassuring to hear. Did he have any issues with the job search requirements or anything different because it was federal?
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Olivia Van-Cleve
I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I needed to talk to someone about my federal employee claim status. The regular phone lines were always busy and I kept getting disconnected. Eventually found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you actually reach a live agent at NYS Department of Labor. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and redialing - got through to someone who could explain why my adjudication was taking longer than usual.
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Mason Kaczka
•How much does something like that cost? Seems like you shouldn't have to pay to reach unemployment office
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Olivia Van-Cleve
•It was worth it for me because I was stressed about my claim being stuck. The alternative was spending entire days trying to get through on the phone with no guarantee of reaching anyone. At least this way I knew I'd actually talk to a real NYS Department of Labor representative who could look at my specific case.
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Sophia Russo
Wait I'm confused - I thought federal employees had their own unemployment system separate from states? My cousin works for homeland security and always talks about how federal benefits are different from regular jobs...
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Elijah O'Reilly
•Federal employees do have different health insurance, retirement, etc. But for unemployment, they file through their state's system. The UCFE program just means the federal government pays the bill instead of the employer. Your cousin would file through whatever state they live in if they lost their federal job.
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Evelyn Xu
The whole system is ridiculous anyway. Whether you're federal, state, or private sector, NYS Department of Labor takes forever to process anything and you can never reach anyone on the phone. Good luck OP, hope your experience is better than most of us have had with their so-called customer service.
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Dominic Green
•seriously, the adjudication process is a black hole no matter what kind of job you had before
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Ethan Davis
Just wanted to add that when you file your UCFE claim through NYS Department of Labor, make sure you select "Federal Government" as your employer type in the application. This helps them route your claim correctly for processing. Also, don't be surprised if your monetary determination letter shows wages from "United States of America" instead of "USPS" - that's normal for federal employee claims. The benefit calculation works the same way as regular unemployment, just sourced from federal wages.
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