Why has unemployment decreased - will this affect my NYS Department of Labor benefits?
I've been hearing on the news that unemployment rates have gone down significantly this year. I'm currently receiving regular UI benefits and have been for about 8 weeks now. Does anyone know if declining unemployment numbers will impact my claim or make it harder to get extensions? I'm worried the NYS Department of Labor might start cutting people off earlier if they think there are more jobs available. My adjudication just cleared last month and I don't want any new complications.
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Olivia Clark
Lower unemployment rates don't directly affect your current claim duration. If you're on regular UI, you still get your full 26 weeks as long as you meet the weekly requirements. The NYS Department of Labor bases individual claims on your work history and earnings, not on general economic conditions. Keep filing your weekly claims and doing your job search activities.
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Yara Assad
•That's a relief! I was panicking that they might suddenly change the rules mid-claim.
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Javier Morales
wait what does this mean for extended benefits though?? i thought when unemployment goes down they stop the extra weeks
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Olivia Clark
•Extended Benefits (EB) can be affected by unemployment rates, but those are separate from regular UI. Most people don't even qualify for EB unless they've exhausted their regular 26 weeks.
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Natasha Petrov
The job search requirements might get stricter though. When I was on unemployment a few years ago during a good economy, they were really strict about the 3 job contacts per week. Now with lower unemployment, the NYS Department of Labor might crack down more on people not actively looking. Make sure you're documenting everything properly in your job search log.
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Connor O'Brien
•This is exactly what I was worried about! I've been having trouble reaching anyone at NYS Department of Labor to ask about my specific situation. The phone lines are always busy and I keep getting disconnected. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to someone? I tried calling for two weeks straight with no luck.
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Amina Diallo
•I had the same problem until someone told me about Claimyr. It's a service that calls the NYS Department of Labor for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. I was skeptical at first but it actually worked - got through in like 20 minutes when I couldn't get through for weeks on my own. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Check out claimyr.com if you're interested.
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GamerGirl99
honestly the whole system is rigged anyway, they make it impossible to get help when you need it most. unemployment going down just means they'll find more excuses to deny claims
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Hiroshi Nakamura
•I feel you on the frustration but try to stay positive! The system has issues but most legitimate claims do get approved eventually.
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