How Unemployment Benefit Systems work in New York

When unemployed, access to some monetary benefits and advice or training on the new trends in the job market can help alleviate unemployment stress. In New York, the agency charged with administering the help as mentioned earlier – unemployment insurance, is the state’s Department of Labor. There are also law offices,one of which – Law office of Yuriy Moshes.

The agency makes use of funding from the state’s employers to provide benefits to eligible unemployed citizens. The citizens do not have to pay for anything to receive the benefits. Note, however, that for an applicant to be accepted to the program, they must meet specific criteria as shall be explained later. But the bottom line is, your unemployment status should not be of your own making. Otherwise, bang goes any fond hopes! Here’re some of the benefits afforded by the unemployment insurance.

Benefits afforded by the Unemployment Insurance claim

1. Monetary benefits

When you get laid off you can file an unemployment claim with the state to receive temporary payments while searching for a new job. The payments are made from New York’s state fund collected from the state’s employers. Usually, these funds are collected from the employers in the form of unemployment insurance tax by the state. Here are some key points to note:

• The claimant receives the payment only for a limited number of weeks (26 weeks is the maximum) or until the citizen secures another job.

• The pay is less than what would have otherwise been made while on the actual job. It can be from half of what you used to get to a specified maximum.

• The payments are made weekly.

• The payment amount’s determined by what you sued to earn before being laid off too. Therefore, you are required to have been employed for some specified number of weeks.

• The benefits are taxed, according to federal income tax regulations.

2. Job training

Training is offered by the unemployment agency in the state’s Department of labor. It’s often provided through workshops and seminars in-person online. The aim is to help you get back into the workforce. You can receive this training while collecting monetary benefits. In addition to receiving training on skills required in the job market, you can also be trained on new jobs – not the one you were laid off from. The training is mostly free of charge, or at low cost, if charged.

3. Job search

Apart from training and monetary benefits, the office also helps the citizen acquire current job search strategies. You will be trained on how to improve your resume and how to plan your search for work. You will be trained on how to use networking sites such as LinkedIn to find or be found.

These are but a few benefits afforded by the state’s unemployment insurance. However, some details must be met before receiving the benefits. These have to do with:

• Eligibility requirement,

• The citizen’s past earnings requirements,

• Reasons for unemployment.

Eligibility requirement

For an applicant to be accepted under the program, they must meet the following eligibility criteria. One, the reason for unemployment should not be personal. The applicant must have been laid off from the previous job and not quit by themselves or fired. That is to say, the citizen should not be unemployed out of their own accord.

Prior earnings

The second point is that the applicant’s previous earnings must be within some specific minimum threshold. When you file an unemployment claim, your earnings history is examined. Usually, a one-year base-period is selected then the earnings during this period are used to gauge eligibility. There are three types of base-period, namely:

• The regular base-period: the beginning four of the five quarters before claim filing

• The alternate base-period: the last four of the five quarters before claim filing

• Extended base-period: if you are not eligible under the above two quarters, or were covered under workers compensation insurance.

Here’s how the base-period is selected: when you file your claim, five calendar quarters are counted from that month going backward than the earliest or latest four quarters selected. For example, the base-period for a claim filed in September 2019 has 1st May 2018 – 31st Apr 2019 or 1st Aug 2018 – 31st Jul 2019. Earnings made during any of these periods determine the size of weekly monetary payments is received. You can determine the size of the pay here.

Reasons for unemployment

Lastly, the applicant must prove that they’re in a position to work, actively searching for work, can carry out tasks. That is, if a job is available – that suits your job experience, you can accept it and carry it out whenever you’re offered the position no matter the pay. If a citizen cannot prove the above three requirements, then their eligibility for the unemployment benefits is invalidated. An applicant must, therefore, use their record of prevailing job search to prove their readiness to work.

How to apply for Unemployment benefits in New York

If you meet the above three criteria, you can apply for Unemployment Insurance. Just log onto the New York state’s Department of Labor website or call the agency’s claim center directly at (888) 209-8124., M-F. They can take calls at any time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. If you qualify the program; you will be notified on.

• The number of weeks you’re eligible for monetary benefits – again the maximum is 26 per benefit year

• When your payments begin streaming in – usually 3-6 weeks after the claim filing

• You will be issued with a debit card that has been loaded with the money due

• You can also choose to be paid via direct bank deposits into your account

What if benefits are denied?

Well, it’s not the end of the road – you can appeal. An appeal like this has to be made within 30 days after rejection. You then have to appear in front of an Administrative law judge. You can engage the services of an unemployment benefits attorney to ensure that your appeal is fired within time and that you get a fair hearing. Or you can use the free and confidential intial consultation in the law office of Yuriy Moshes. Appeals can be filed online too. Additionally, the attorney can let you know if your circumstances warrant a case or not.

The bottom line, the process of qualifying for Unemployment Insurance may be tedious if you don’t know what to do. With the above few tips, however, you can stay eligible and benefit from the money and training afforded by Unemployment Insurance.