Tens of thousands of New Yorkers whose unemployment insurance applications have been approved, but not paid out, could be stuck on one last step.
They need to go back online or call to certify each week, according to the NYS Department of Labor.
It turns out, tens of thousands of people have holdups in their claims because they have not certified — a requirement by the federal government, the state labor department said.
The state labor department emailed 90,000 people over the weekend to remind them to certify. The department plans to continue to alert people who entered an email address on their applications.
The certification applies to people who receive both traditional unemployment insurance and the new pandemic unemployment insurance. The certification confirms the person was unemployed for all or part of the past week and is willing and able to work.
During the pandemic, the department advises people who cannot work because of the pandemic and the shutdown orders to answer that they were ready, willing and able to work if they otherwise could have worked.
Unemployment recipients should start certifying when their applications switch from “pending” to “payable.” Those people will have received an email from the labor department and a letter.
The week runs from Monday to Sunday. Filers must submit certification during what’s called a “claim window.” That starts on the last day of the week (Sunday) through the following Saturday.
To certify, sign in to an account on the labor department’s website. Click the “unemployment services” button. Then click “claim weekly benefits.”
There are two numbers to certify by phone.
1-888-581-5812 for traditional unemployment insurance.
1-833-324-0366 for pandemic unemployment insurance.
Last week, the department directed all businesses to provide employees with the Federal Employer Identification Number, or FEIN. Staff has identified the lack of this information as the No. 1 holdup in finalizing claims.
New York has paid $4.6 billion to 1.6 million unemployed people since mid-March when the government shut down all non-essential businesses.
But many unemployed people have not yet been able to file and have not received their benefits.
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Contact Michelle Breidenbach | mbreidenbach@syracuse.com | 315-470-3186.
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