Why am I ineligible for unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor?
I just got a determination letter from NYS Department of Labor saying I'm ineligible for unemployment benefits and I'm completely confused. I worked at a retail store for 8 months before they let me go due to 'restructuring' in December. I thought I met all the requirements but apparently something is wrong with my claim. The letter mentions something about 'insufficient wage credits' but I don't understand what that means. I made about $28,000 last year so I know I earned enough money. Has anyone else dealt with this? What could make someone ineligible when they were laid off through no fault of their own?
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Mei-Ling Chen
Insufficient wage credits usually means you didn't earn enough in your base period quarters to qualify. NYS Department of Labor looks at the first four of the last five completed quarters before you filed. If you only worked 8 months, depending on when you started, you might not have enough earnings in the right quarters. You can request an alternate base period calculation if your recent earnings weren't counted.
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DeShawn Washington
•Oh that makes more sense. I started working in April so maybe my earnings from before that weren't enough? How do I request the alternate base period thing?
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Sofía Rodríguez
same thing happened to me!! i was so confused when they said insufficient wages but i found out it was because i didn't work enough in the specific quarters they look at. you should definitely appeal or ask for the alternate base period
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DeShawn Washington
•Did you end up getting approved after requesting the alternate base period? I'm really hoping this can be fixed.
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Aiden O'Connor
There could be other reasons too. Did you quit any jobs in the past 18 months? Even if your last job was a layoff, if you voluntarily quit a previous job without good cause, that can make you ineligible. Also check if there are any issues with your work authorization or if you were classified as an independent contractor instead of an employee.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to get clarification on my eligibility issues. Kept getting busy signals and disconnected calls. Finally used 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. The agent was able to explain exactly why I was initially denied and helped me understand what documentation I needed for my appeal.
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DeShawn Washington
•That sounds really helpful. I've been trying to call for days with no luck. How much does something like that cost?
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•Worth checking out their site for details, but for me it was way better than spending hours on hold or getting hung up on. The agent actually walked me through my whole situation.
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Jamal Brown
ugh the whole system is so confusing! they make it impossible to understand why they deny people. i hope you can get it sorted out, it's so stressful when you need the money
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