The article was written from my own personal experience filing Unemployment Insurance(UI) benefits with NYS Department of labor(NYSDOL). However the content is not aimed to provide every single detail of the process but rather to present NY workers of what to expect and act when they think of filing the claim to subsidize lost income during new job search as a result of employment termination through no fault of their own.
First, in order to qualify, you must meet the following fundamental criteria.
(1) You have sufficient working history and have worked in the state of NY within the last eighteen months.
(2) You were involuntarily terminated from your employer through no fault of your own but because of business reasons such as staff reduction, company downsizing/shutdown/restructuring or there was a lack of company operating funds.
(3) You are a US citizen, US permanent resident or immigrant with legal working status at the time you lost your employment and are allowed to take new job and must be working in the state of NY within the last 18 months.
(4) You might be eligible if you were unable to meet your employer requirements or standards for the position you were hired for.
For further details under which circumstances you are eligible to file a claim with NYSDOL, click here
NYSDOL suggested that you claim for unemployment benefits the first week that you are totally or partially out of work online or via automated telephone which walks you through the process in different languages in addition to English. When in doubt, consult a comprehensive Claimant FAQs which may answer many of concerns about the process such as what assistance is available, how to start a claim process, how your rate will be determined and other helpful answers. Be honest and truthful when completing the application. There is no cost whatsoever for anyone to claim for unemployment benefits. If you were told otherwise, you were being victimized by the scammers who are people or entity that offer help to file for benefits on your behalf for a fee. Do stay away from them and report such scam to the Bureau of Immigrant Workers’ Rights at 1-877-IMM-WRKR (1-877-466-9757) if you encounter one.
Should the information you supplied is incomplete or needed to be further verified on your part, NYSDOL will contact you or/and leave you a number where/who you can call.
Within about one week after you have completed your claim application, you will be receiving a
Monetary Determination, providing one of the following implications,
(1) Your application is declined and reason(s) to reach such non-entitlement.
(2) The confirmation of your base period and the employers and wages used to determine if you have sufficient employment to establish a claim. Be sure to review this form for accuracy as this is to be used for your rate determination which is one twenty-sixth( 1/26 )of the high quarter wages paid to you in your base period. The maximum benefits as of the time of this article(April 2009) is $405 per week.
If you do not agree with the determination or there is incorrect or missing information, you can request for reconsideration. Be prepared to have proof to substantiate your argument.
After you’re qualified to receive the benefits, you must continue to claim(certify) your benefits weekly on the web or phone. During this period, you must actively look for work and log your job search and report at local NYSDOL office at scheduled date and time(normally every six to eight weeks during unemployment). Failure to attend the meeting may cause you to lose benefits.
In NY State where unemployment rate is high, a total of 33 weeks of federally-funded emergency benefits are available in addition to regular 26-week benefits. That is if you are still unemployed after you have exhausted initial 26 weeks and that you are ready, willing and able to work, you can continue to claim for extended unemployment benefits. In addition, as of April 7, 2009, the $25 weekly payment, known as Federal Additional Compensation (FAC), is additionally being made to unemployment recipients.
Remember to keep your social security number and PIN(Personal Identification Number created by yourself) private. Do not allow anyone to have this information and file on your behalf. NYSDOL takes serious step and holds both claimant and user for potential fraud which may cause the claimant to lose up to 20 weeks of benefits.
It is worthwhile to take your time reading for further information on NYSDOL website for services and programs including training and job search assistance to help you stay positive and well-informed during your search efforts.
