Why is unemployment going up in NY - should I be worried about my claim?
I keep seeing news about unemployment rates rising and I'm starting to panic about my own situation. I've been on unemployment for 8 weeks now and everything seemed fine with my weekly claims, but now I'm wondering if this means they're going to start cutting people off or making the requirements stricter? My claim status still shows active but I'm worried they might start doing more audits or something. Has anyone else heard anything from NYS Department of Labor about changes coming because of the rising numbers?
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Vanessa Figueroa
The unemployment rate going up actually means MORE people are filing claims, not that existing claims are getting cut off. Your individual claim status isn't affected by the overall rate. As long as you're filing your weekly claims on time and meeting your job search requirements, you should be fine. The NYS Department of Labor processes claims based on your individual eligibility, not the statewide numbers.
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Diez Ellis
•That's a relief! I was imagining them cutting everyone off if too many people were claiming benefits. So my weekly claims should continue as normal?
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Abby Marshall
yeah the news always makes it sound scary but rising unemployment just means more layoffs are happening, has nothing to do with your existing claim unless you personally did something wrong
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Sadie Benitez
Actually this reminds me of when I was worried about the same thing last year. I called NYS Department of Labor like 50 times trying to get through to ask about it, kept getting that busy signal or hung up on. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent who explained it all. They even have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. The agent confirmed that statewide unemployment rates don't affect individual claim eligibility at all.
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Diez Ellis
•Interesting, I might check that out if I need to call them. I've been avoiding calling because I heard the wait times are horrible.
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Drew Hathaway
The real issue is that when unemployment goes up the system gets OVERWHELMED and everything slows down. Processing times get longer, more adjudication delays, harder to reach anyone by phone. That's probably what you should actually be worried about, not your claim getting cancelled.
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Laila Prince
•This is exactly right. I work in HR and we're seeing more of our laid-off employees complaining about delays in their claim processing. It's not that they're being denied, just that everything takes longer when volume is high.
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Isabel Vega
ugh tell me about it, my adjudication has been pending for 6 weeks now and I bet it's because of all these new claims flooding the system
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Dominique Adams
I wouldn't worry too much about your existing claim. Just make sure you're keeping up with your job search log and reporting any work accurately on your weekly claims. The NYS Department of Labor is required to pay benefits to eligible claimants regardless of how many people are claiming.
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Javier Morales
I was in a similar situation a few months ago when unemployment rates were climbing and I was convinced they were going to start cutting benefits. What I learned is that your individual claim is based on your work history and eligibility when you first applied - the statewide numbers don't change that. The only thing that might affect you is if you personally stop meeting the requirements (like not doing job searches or not certifying weekly). Keep doing what you're doing and don't let the headlines stress you out!
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Abigail Spencer
•Thanks for sharing your experience @Javier Morales! That's really reassuring to hear from someone who went through the same worry. I think I was getting caught up in all the doom and gloom headlines and forgot that my claim is based on my own work history. I'll keep up with my weekly certifications and job searches and try not to stress about the bigger picture stuff I can't control.
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