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Wait I thought only big companies had to pay this?? I work for a tiny restaurant and I'm pretty sure they don't pay unemployment insurance because when I asked about it my manager said they were too small
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT!!! They deny everyone hoping you'll just give up and go away. I've been fighting them for a year and finally got approved but only after threatening to contact my state representative. The whole system is designed to wear you down mentally.
The whole system is frustrating. Low unemployment rate sounds good but doesn't help when you're one of the people still looking. At least your claim should process normally though - mine got stuck in adjudication for weeks because of some computer glitch.
The decision makers are just regular NYS Department of Labor employees, but they have pretty strict guidelines they follow. For layoffs, they mainly verify that your employer confirms the reason for separation and that you earned enough wages in your base period. Sometimes they need additional documentation which can cause delays.
Does anyone know what happens if they deny your initial claim? Can you appeal or are you just out of luck?
Miguel Ortiz
If you do run into issues getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone, I had good luck using this 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 explains how it works. I was stuck in adjudication limbo for weeks and couldn't get anyone on the phone until I tried this. Within a day of talking to an agent, my issue was resolved and payments started coming through.
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Zainab Khalil
•Never heard of that before - is it legit? Seems weird to pay someone to help you call a government office.
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Miguel Ortiz
•I was skeptical too but it actually worked. The regular phone system was just impossible - either busy signals or getting disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. This got me through to someone who could actually look at my account and fix the problem.
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QuantumQuest
Just apply already! Yeah there might be some delays but you're losing money every day you wait. The worst that happens is you get denied and have to appeal, but if you were laid off from a regular job you'll almost certainly qualify. I've been on UI twice in the last 5 years and both times it was fine.
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