This is a complete guide on the New York state unemployment insurance policy.
If you are unemployed and struggling to survive in New York state, then you’ve not heard of the New York state unemployment Insurance policy.
Unemployed people in New York state are not allowed to suffer as the government has established an unemployment insurance policy to help them throughout the period of losing their jobs too when they will get employed again.
As an unemployed person, you can file for financial aid to receive temporary assistance while searching for a new job.
This article contains all the necessary information you need to know about the New York state unemployment insurance policy.
How New York State Unemployment Insurance Policy Works
New York unemployment insurance policy is a temporary income for workers who lose their jobs not because of their nonchalant attitude towards work but circumstances they couldn’t help.
New York state unemployment insurance policy is a joint state-federal program that provides cash benefits to eligible workers.
Example of new York State unemployment insurance policy is the Regular Insurance Benefit
Regular Insurance Benefits
Regular Insurance Benefit is a conventional insurance benefit in New York for workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.
To access regular unemployment insurance benefits, you must be prepared, willing, and eligible to work.
Moreover, you must have worked and earned enough wages in covered employment.
However, employers pay contributions that fund Unemployment Insurance Benefits in New York.
To find out if you are eligible and also learn your actual benefit amount, you must file an Unemployment Insurance claim.
Moreover, to collect insurance benefit, you must be ready, willing, and able to work, and actively looking for work during each week in which you are claiming benefits.
If you are eligible, your first payment will be made in two to three weeks from the time your claim is completed and processed.
Sometimes, additional information may be requested from you before payment can be made and your first payment may take longer.
Interestingly, benefactors of this unemployment insurance are qualified for up to 26 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits.
It is worthy to note that all unemployment benefits are taxable and considered income for Federal tax returns.
However, you are not required to pay federal taxes on the first unemployment benefits if you earned less than $150,000 as an individual.
Despite that, you will still have to pay state and city taxes on your benefits because New York State and City measure income separately from the federal government.
How to file a claim for unemployment insurance benefits
To file a claim for unemployment insurance benefits, you need to sign in or create a NY.gov ID account, and follow the instructions.
However, it is necessary to create a pin if you have never filed for a claim benefit in New York before.
The four-digit pin will be used to access the system to authorize weekly benefits and also update your account.
Requirements For The Filing Out A Claim
Below are the requirements you need for filling out a claim
1. Your Social Security number
2. Your driver’s license or Motor Vehicle ID card number
3. Your complete mailing address and zip code
4. A phone number where you can be reached from 8 am – 5 pm, Monday –Friday
5. Your Alien Registration card number (if you are not a U.S. Citizen and have a card)
6. Names and addresses of all your employers for the last 18 months, including those in other states
7. Employer Registration number or Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) of your most recent employer (FEIN is on your W-2 forms)
8. Your copies of forms SF8 and SF50, if you were a federal employee
9. Your most recent separation from (DD 214), for military service
It is best to apply for unemployment insurance online in the hours of 7:30 AM – 7:30 PM.
However, if you choose to apply by telephone, call their Telephone Claim Center at 1-888-209-8124, toll-free during business hours to file a claim.
You can contact them from Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 7:30 pm.
If you want to file by phone, they offer translation services. You can use your phone keypad to enter the number for the language you choose.
After, a voice recording will propose you these language choices:
- English
- Spanish
- Russian
- Cantonese
- Mandarin
- Creole
- Korean
- Polish
- All other languages
If you choose direct deposit for your weekly benefits, you will need your bank routing and checking account numbers.
However, you cannot choose direct deposit if you filed your claim by telephone.
If you are hearing impaired, have your helper call the Telephone Claims Center at 1-888-783-1370.
Additionally, it is worthy to note that the New York state unemployment insurance policy is for every qualified resident of New York.
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Therefore, It is against State and Federal law for the New York State Department of Labor to discriminate based on:
- Race
- Color
- Religion
- Sex
- National Origin
- Marital Status
- Age
- Disability
- Political Affiliation or Belief
- Sexual Orientation
- Gender Identity or expression
- Military Status
What To Expect When You Are Done With Your Application
When you are done applying for unemployment insurance benefits, your first payment will generally be made in two to three weeks from the time your claim is completed and processed.
Moreover, your first payment may take longer because of the time used in reviewing and processing your application for benefits.
You will not receive benefits during this period. This is why you may see your claim status as “pending.”
However, it is crucial to respond to any questionnaires, messages, or phone calls from the department of labor as quickly as possible.
Failure to do so will delay your claim or result in the denial or suspension of your benefits.
Presently, Department Of Labor representatives are working from home, so your caller ID may show “PRIVATE CALLER.”
Anyone calling from DOL will verify their identity by providing the date you filed your application and the type of claim.
Once you have been verified, a representative may ask for your social security number.
It is important to note that if you received benefits on a prior claim by using a debit card and you no longer have the card, or if your card has expired, you must call KeyBank at 1-866-295-2955 to get a new card.
If you filed a prior claim and you received benefits on that prior claim by direct deposit, any benefits due to you on this claim will go to the bank account they have on file.
If your bank account has changed, immediately update your banking information by using the DOL website.
Moreover, always sign in to your account to find out when your most recent payment was released or to see a history of all payments made on your claim
You will receive a Monetary Determination in the mail informing you of your weekly benefit rate, the base period used to establish your claim, and the employers and wages used to calculate your weekly benefit rate after you complete your application for a new claim for benefits.
If you noticed the wages are wrong, or any employers are missing, fill out and send to them the Request for Reconsideration form.
To quicken their review of your claim, be sure to submit proof of your employment and wages. If you have no payment receipts, send any documents you may have that can be used as proof.
You should certify for benefits for each week you remain unemployed, as soon as you receive notification from the DOL to do so. Learn how to certify each week.
For detailed information about Unemployment Insurance benefits, please read the Claimant Handbook which is offered in different languages
- English | English Audio Version
- Albanian Sigurimi i Papunësisë – Manual Udhëzues për Aplikuesit
- Arabic language version – التأمي ن ضد البطالة دليل المُطالب بالمخصصات
- Bengali language version – বেকারত্ব বিমা দাবিদারের জন্য একটি পুস্তিকা
- Chinese language version – 失業保險 理賠申請人手冊
- French language version – Assurance-chômage: Guide destiné aux demandeurs
- Haitian Creole language version – Asirans Chomaj: Yon tiliv ki bay enfòmasyon pou moun ki fè reklamasyon
- Italian language version – Assicurazione Contro la Disoccupazione – Guida per il Richiedente
- Korean language version – 실업 보험 청구자 안내서
- Polish language version – Ubezpieczenie od bezrobocia: Podręcznik dla osób ubiegających się o świadczenia
- Russian language version – Страховые выплаты по безработице: Руководство для заявителя
- Spanish language version – Seguro de desempleo: Manual del solicitante
New York State Unemployment Assistance
Apart from regular unemployment insurance benefits, there are instances the New York government gives unemployment assistance to her unemployed citizens. Those types of unemployment assistance are;
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
Pandemic unemployment assistance was signed on March 27, 2020, to provide additional unemployment insurance assistance to workers affected by Covid’19.
Furthermore, if you are a self-employed, independent contractor, farmer, a worker with limited work history and you are unable to work as a result of covid’19 public health emergency, you can apply for pandemic unemployment assistance.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA)
Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) gives temporary benefits to individuals whose employment or self-employment has been lost or interrupted as a result of a major disaster and who are not eligible for regular unemployment insurance (UI).
This unemployment assistance started on October 29, 2021, and will be ending on November 28, 2021.
Disaster unemployment assistance is only available to New York residents in these counties— Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester—who lost their jobs because of the hurricane Ida and live or work in an affected county.
Individuals who are eligible for regular UI benefits under any state or federal law are ineligible for disaster unemployment assistance benefits.
The U.S. Department of Labor oversees the DUA program and coordinates with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security.
Criteria For Eligibility Of DUA
1. You must have had a week of unemployment following the date the major disaster began
2. You must be unable to reach your place of employment;
3. You were scheduled to start work and the job no longer exists or you were unable to reach the job
4. You became the breadwinner or major support because the head of the household died as a direct result of the disaster
5. You cannot work because of an injury caused as a direct result of the disaster.
6. You are not eligible for regular unemployment insurance.
7. You are unemployed as a direct result of the disaster
8. You are able and available for work unless injured as a direct result of the disaster
9. You applied for DUA within 30 days of the date of the public announcement of the availability of DUA.
10. You have not refused an offer of employment in a suitable position.
11. Self-employed individuals who meet the criteria may be eligible for DUA benefits.
How To apply for DUA benefits
To qualify for DUA benefit, you must first apply for unemployment assistance over the phone.
To commence this process, you can call 866-642-7227 and answer the questions to indicate that your employment was negatively impacted by Hurricane Ida.
After applying via phone call and you are not receiving the regular UI benefits, an NYS DOL agent will call you to finalize the DUA application.
The information to provide when applying for DUA benefits is proof to document employment or self-employment.
If proof of employment cannot be provided at the time the claim is filed, you have 21 calendar days from the time the claim was filed to meet this requirement.
Failure to submit this documentation within 21 days will result in a denial of DUA, and any benefits already paid will be considered overpaid, and individuals are required to repay any benefits overpaid.
When applying for DUA, you must also provide information about:
1. How you lost your job or source of household income
2. When you lost your job or source of household income
3. Where you live or where your job was located.
If you do not supply the above information, you will not be approved for DUA benefits.
That’s all on New York state unemployment insurance policy, I hope it helps
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