Mayer, Burdick Pass Legislation to Ensure Timely Determinations on Unemployment Assistance Claims

(Albany, NY) –  New York State Senator Shelley B. Mayer and Assemblymember Chris Burdick today announced that their legislation, which would require the Department of Labor to notify unemployment assistant claimants of their approval status within 30 days, has passed both the Senate and the Assembly. 

In the early days of the pandemic, the Department of Labor received an unprecedented number of applications for unemployment assistance. Many did not get any response from the Department of Labor for weeks or even months. If signed by the Governor, S.6828A/A.9268A will ensure that claimants, many of whom are facing severe financial strain, receive a response concerning their eligibility for benefits in a timely manner. Under this legislation, if a determination cannot be made within 30 days, the Department of Labor will be required to inform the claimant and provide a new estimated time frame for determination. 

Senator Shelley B. Mayer said: “Two years after the start of the pandemic, I continue to receive calls from constituents who have not heard back from the Department of Labor. This is an extremely real and frustrating issue for the people we serve. We need to change the system to get our neighbors the information and benefits they are entitled to in a timely manner.”

Assemblymember Chris Burdick said: “When residents turn to their representatives in Albany, they frequently do so out of frustration and even desperation. When I first came into office with the pandemic recession hitting hard, my staff and I were flooded with those reaching out to us, often in severe financial straits, waiting endlessly for their unemployment claims to be processed. It is essential that the Department of Labor act promptly. This bill would simply require the DOL to do what it needs to do.”