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I'm in a similar situation trying to understand my old payment records! It's confusing when you see all these different program codes but at least we know it was all handled automatically by NYS Department of Labor.
I went through the same confusion when I was reviewing my old claims! What helped me was calling the NYS DOL customer service line and asking them to walk through my payment history with me. They were able to explain each program code - like PEUC (Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation), PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance), and FPUC (Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation which was the extra $300/$600 weekly). They also confirmed that as long as you were certifying properly each week, there weren't any special reporting requirements you missed. The transitions between programs were automatic based on your eligibility.
Wait, so you can actually quit and still get unemployment? I thought you had to be fired or laid off. This changes everything for my situation...
Yes, but it has to meet specific criteria for 'good cause.' It's not just because you don't like your job - there has to be compelling circumstances that make continuing work unreasonable. Things like unsafe working conditions, substantial changes to your job duties or schedule, harassment, or situations that conflict with necessary family responsibilities can qualify.
I work in HR and see these situations frequently. For childcare-related scheduling conflicts, NYS DOL typically considers it good cause if: 1) The schedule changes were not part of your original job terms, 2) You don't have reasonable alternatives for childcare, and 3) You attempted to work with your employer on a solution first. The 24-hour notice issue is particularly strong evidence since it's unreasonable to expect parents to arrange childcare that quickly. Before quitting, I'd recommend sending your manager an email explaining your childcare constraints and asking for more advance notice on schedule changes. Keep their response as documentation. Also gather any evidence showing your original work schedule vs. the current unpredictable one.
focus on the effective days remaining. when those run out ur done unless u get an extension. BYE date is just the calendar end of ur claim but u still need days left to get paid
I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! I have 12 effective days left and my BYE isn't until March 2022. Reading through all these responses, it sounds like I need to call ASAP before my days run out completely. Has anyone had success getting through to unemployment recently? I've been trying the main number for days with no luck. Really don't want to end up with a gap in payments while they sort this out 😰
The whole workforce registration thing is such a pain. Like we don't have enough to worry about when we're unemployed! I spent THREE HOURS at my local office just to fill out paperwork that could have been done online. The system is broken.
@Ayla Kumar - I just went through this process last month! You can do most of it online through the NY.gov website. Search for "OSOS" (One Stop Operating System) and create an account there. You'll need to complete your profile, upload your resume, and take some basic skills assessments. The only thing I had to do in person was attend a brief orientation session, but some counties are still doing those virtually. Make sure to do this ASAP - they can put a hold on your benefits if you don't complete it within the required timeframe. The whole online portion took me about 2 hours to complete.
Thanks for the detailed info @Ravi Sharma! This is super helpful. I've been stressing about this for days. Quick question - when you say "required timeframe" do you know exactly how long we have to complete the workforce registration? I'm at 2 weeks unemployed now and want to make sure I'm not cutting it too close.
Anastasia Romanov
I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed in late January and still stuck in ID.me verification hell with no payments. The worst part is not knowing HOW LONG this will actually take. I've been reading horror stories online about people waiting 2-3 months. One thing that helped me feel a little better was calling my local legal aid office - they said this is super common right now and that NY changed their fraud detection system which is causing all these delays. They also told me to document everything (dates I called, who I spoke to, etc.) in case I need to file an appeal later. Also try calling the Spanish language line even if you speak English - I heard they have shorter wait times and the agents can help in English too. The number is 1-888-209-8124. Worth a shot when you're desperate! Hang in there - at least we're not alone in this nightmare 😫
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Liam Duke
•OMG thank you for mentioning the Spanish line! I never would have thought of that. I'm definitely going to try that tomorrow morning. And you're so right about documenting everything - I've been keeping a messy notebook but I should probably make it more organized in case I need it later. It's crazy that NY changed their system right before a bunch of people needed to file claims. The timing couldn't be worse! At least knowing other people are going through the same thing makes me feel slightly less like I'm going insane. Thanks for the legal aid tip too - I didn't even know that was an option.
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Kelsey Chin
This thread is so helpful - I'm dealing with the exact same situation! Filed my claim in mid-January and have been stuck in ID.me verification limbo for 6 weeks now. I've been certifying every week religiously but haven't seen a penny. What's really frustrating is that when I finally got through to someone last week, they said my case was "escalated to a specialist" but couldn't give me any timeframe. The agent literally said "it could be tomorrow, it could be next month" - like thanks for nothing! 🙄 I'm definitely going to try contacting my assembly member after reading all these success stories. I'm in Queens so I'll look up who represents my district. Also going to check if there are any discrepancies between my ID.me info and my claim - I never thought about that before but it makes total sense. The stress of not knowing when (or if!) the money will come is almost worse than not having it. At least with regular unemployment you know what to expect. This new system is clearly broken and it's affecting so many people. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips!
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Avery Flores
•I'm in the exact same boat! Filed January 15th and still nothing after 7 weeks of certifying. The "escalated to a specialist" thing is what they told me too - it's like their go-to response when they have no real answers. For Queens, I think you might want to try Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas or Catalina Cruz depending on your exact area. I found their contact forms online and they both seem to have good track records with unemployment issues based on what I've been reading. The not knowing part is definitely the worst - I keep refreshing my bank account like it's going to magically appear. At this point I'm wondering if I should just start looking for any job I can get because waiting for this system to work is driving me crazy. Thanks for sharing your story - at least we know we're not alone in this mess!
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