Why is NYS Department of Labor unemployment so hard to get approved?
I've been trying to get unemployment benefits for over a month now and it feels impossible. First my initial claim got stuck in adjudication for weeks with no explanation. Then when I finally got someone on the phone, they said I needed to provide more work history documentation even though I uploaded everything they asked for. Now they're questioning whether I was actually laid off or if I quit voluntarily, which makes no sense because I have the termination letter. Every time I call the NYS Department of Labor I either get disconnected or told to wait for a callback that never comes. Is the system designed to make people give up? Why is this process so deliberately difficult?
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Giovanni Rossi
unfortunately thats just how it is these days, took me 3 months to get mine approved and i had to resubmit the same documents like 4 times
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CosmicCaptain
•Three months?? I can't wait that long, I'm already behind on rent. Did you ever find out why they kept asking for the same stuff?
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Fatima Al-Maktoum
The NYS Department of Labor has specific eligibility requirements that can be complex. Common reasons for delays include: insufficient work history in the base period, questions about your separation reason, or identity verification issues. For adjudication, they're required to investigate any potential issues before approving benefits. The key is making sure you respond to every request promptly and keep detailed records of all communications. If you have a termination letter, that should help establish you were laid off involuntarily.
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CosmicCaptain
•I've responded to everything they've asked for within 24 hours. The problem is they keep asking for things I already sent or saying my documents aren't clear enough when they're perfectly readable PDFs.
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Dylan Mitchell
OMG YES! I'm going through the exact same thing right now. They denied my first claim saying I didn't earn enough in my base period, but when I calculated it myself I definitely met the requirements. Then when I appealed they said I needed to provide pay stubs going back 18 months which seems excessive? I'm so confused about what they actually want from me. Should I be looking at gross or net earnings? And why won't anyone at NYS Department of Labor explain this clearly?
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Fatima Al-Maktoum
•For base period calculations, they use gross earnings (before taxes). You need at least $3,300 in covered employment during your base period. The 18 months of pay stubs might be because they're trying to establish your complete work history if there are gaps.
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Sofia Gutierrez
I had similar issues getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone until someone told me about claimyr.com. It's a service that calls for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. I was skeptical at first but tried it when I was desperate to resolve my adjudication issue. Worked pretty well - I got through in about 20 minutes instead of spending hours on hold. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Might be worth trying if you're stuck in the system.
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CosmicCaptain
•That actually sounds really helpful. I've wasted so many hours on hold only to get disconnected. Is it expensive to use?
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Sofia Gutierrez
•They focus more on getting you connected quickly rather than cost. For me it was worth it just to avoid the frustration of calling 50 times and never getting through.
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Dmitry Petrov
The system is definitely broken. I've been dealing with an overpayment notice for benefits I received LAST YEAR that they're now saying I wasn't entitled to. How can they approve payments and then take them back months later? It feels like they approve people just to create debt later. The whole NYS Department of Labor operation needs to be rebuilt from scratch.
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Fatima Al-Maktoum
•Overpayment notices can be issued if they discover information that affects your initial eligibility determination. You have appeal rights for those notices - definitely don't ignore them.
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StarSurfer
hang in there everyone! got mine sorted out eventually but it took forever and multiple appeals. the key is just never giving up and documenting everything they tell you
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