Will filing a new NY unemployment claim mess up my current benefits?

DO NOT file a new claim! If you're already receiving benefits, you should just report any additional job loss through your weekly certification. There should be a question asking if you lost work due to lack of work. Answer yes to that. Starting a whole new claim could absolutely mess up your current benefits and potentially create weeks of delays while they sort it out.

I was in a similar spot last year when my second job closed temporarily. I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual human at unemployment who explained exactly what to do. Talking to an agent got my situation fixed so fast - definitely worth checking out this video about how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE. They got me a callback with a live agent who explained I should NOT file a new claim but instead just update my existing one.

The most important thing is to CALL before you do anything. NY unemployment system is a nightmare to navigate and one wrong move can delay your benefits for months. Speaking from painful experience here 😭

This is gonna sound weird, but I'd suggest talking to your employer about partial unemployment instead. If they're just doing renovations, maybe they can keep you on the payroll for reduced hours instead of full layoff? That way you keep your job status AND can collect partial benefits without filing a whole new claim.

This exact thing happened to me last fall! Whatever you do, DO NOT file a new claim while you're already collecting. The system flagged my account for fraud investigation because it looked like I was trying to double-dip. Took 3 months to sort out and I lost benefits for 6 weeks. Just certify your existing claim and report the new job loss that way.

The rule is: one open claim at a time per person. If you already have an active claim, filing a second one will just complicate things. Instead, when you do your weekly certification, there should be a section where you can report changes to your employment status. Use that instead.

I work at a place that does seasonal closures, and we go through this every year. Here's exactly what you should do: 1) DO NOT file a new claim while already receiving benefits 2) Continue certifying weekly as normal 3) When asked if you lost work, indicate YES 4) If there's a section for employer information, list your current employer that's closing temporarily 5) The system should automatically adjust your benefit amount if you qualify for more based on combining income from both jobs If you're really worried and want to make sure you're doing it right, I highly recommend using claimyr.com to get through to an actual unemployment specialist. They'll call for you and connect you with an agent who can look at your specific situation. It's the only reliable way to get a human on the phone these days with ny unemployment.

Your boss doesn't know what they're talking about. They probably just want to make sure their unemployment insurance account gets charged properly for the temporary layoff. That's THEIR problem, not yours. Your priority should be not messing up your existing benefits.

Quick question - when did you start getting benefits from that part-time job? If it's been close to a year, you might actually NEED to file a new claim when your benefit year ends anyway.

The NY unemployment system is such trash 🗑️ I swear they deliberately make it confusing so people give up on claiming benefits. Calling them is literally impossible unless you have 5 hours to waste on hold.

Sometimes your benefit amount can increase if you add new employment info, but it depends on your base period wages. The system looks at how much you earned in the quarters before you first filed. Adding this new job loss MIGHT increase your weekly benefit amount if you were earning more at this job than the part-time one you lost in November.

This is exactly why I'm moving out of NY as soon as I can afford it. The unemployment system here is a joke. In other states, this stuff is much more straightforward. My cousin in Texas had a similar situation and their system automatically recalculated her benefits when she reported her second job closed.

Here's what could happen if you file a new claim: 1. The system might flag both claims as potentially fraudulent 2. Both payments could stop while they investigate 3. You might have to provide extensive documentation to prove you're not trying to double-dip 4. It could take weeks or months to resolve Is that risk worth it? I'd say no. Just update your existing claim instead.

Fun fact: the ny unemployment computer system still runs on COBOL programming from the 1970s. That's why all these weird rules exist and why things break so easily. They literally can't update it without risking the entire system collapsing. So yeah, don't file a new claim while you have an active one - the ancient computer overlords will not be pleased 😂

Your boss is probably just following standard procedure for helping employees file during temporary closure. They likely don't realize you're already on unemployment from another job. I'd explain your situation to them and ask if there's any specific documentation they need for their records that doesn't involve you filing a new claim.