As promised, we have been following updates to the New York State Unemployment Insurance system as department officials try to keep up with the staggering number of claims being filed as the lockdown persists. After an avalanche of complaints regarding technical issues and the inability to reach representatives to complete Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (“PUA”) applications, the state has rolled out a new, streamlined application process for those eligible for PUA.
Now, applicants who are eligible for PUA no longer have to go through the federally-mandated process of first applying for traditional unemployment insurance, just so they can wait to be rejected and then apply for PUA. Instead, you should go to the application site, here and follow the instructions. You still need to create a ny.gov id, and unfortunately, undocumented workers remain barred from accessing these funds.
An important note: if you have already filed for UI or the PUA before it was updated, do not start a new application.
If you have any questions about the status of your application or other information, you should contact the DOL, which has hired 3,100 additional representatives to address the caseload.
You can check out our previous blog post on applying for unemployment benefits here.
