


Ask the community...
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to file your claim, I recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you actually reach a live agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I was stuck trying to get through for days and this got me connected in about 20 minutes. Really helped me get my claim moving when I couldn't reach anyone through the regular phone lines.
The key thing is whether you earned enough wages during your benefit year to meet the monetary requirements for a new claim. If you worked part-time while collecting, those earnings could count toward establishing a new benefit year. You'll need to file a new application and they'll determine if you're monetarily eligible based on your recent work history.
I had the same issue last year and couldn't get through to NYS Department of Labor no matter how many times I called. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. The agent was able to review my work history and walk me through the refiling process. Turned out I did qualify for a new claim.
How does that work exactly? Sounds too good to be true with how impossible it is to reach anyone at NYS Department of Labor these days.
The whole system was a mess during that time. Biden extended a lot of the pandemic programs that were about to expire under Trump, but the NYS Department of Labor took forever to update their systems. A lot of people had gaps in their benefits while they figured it out. You should check your payment history in your online account to see exactly what you received and when.
Ugh this brings back bad memories! I had to reapply for everything and it took months to get straightened out. The NYS Department of Labor really dropped the ball on communication during that transition.
mine took about 10 days last year when i got laid off from my warehouse job, but that was before all the recent changes to the system
Just want to add that you should start filing your weekly claims right away even if your initial claim isn't approved yet. You can't get paid for weeks you don't certify, so don't wait! Log into my.ny.gov every Sunday to file your weekly claim.
Aria Khan
Wait I'm confused about this whole thing. I thought all money you earn from work counts as wages? Why would some payments not be taxable for unemployment purposes but still be income?
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Tobias Lancaster
•It's because FUTA (Federal Unemployment Tax Act) has specific rules about what employers have to pay unemployment tax on. Just because you receive money doesn't mean your employer paid unemployment tax on it, and that unemployment tax is what funds the system that pays benefits.
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Everett Tutum
The whole system is so confusing!! I've been trying to figure out my base period wages for weeks and every time I think I understand it something else pops up. Why can't NYS Department of Labor just make this simpler?
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