State Senator George Borrello joins other Senate Republicans in announcing affordability plan (February 13, 2023)

Members of the State Senate Republican Conference have unveiled a proposal for “A More Affordable New York.”

This is one of several initiatives being proposed as part of the conference’s “Rescue New York Agenda.”

The Conference specifically called out several Executive Budget proposals that they say would exacerbate New York State’s lack of affordability, including:
– Eliminating enhanced Medicaid payments to local governments, which they say could lead to increased local property taxes;
– Increasing unemployment insurance taxes on small businesses and farms;
– Further increasing payroll taxes in the MTA region; and
– The use of hundreds of millions of dollars in state money in New York City for new migrants.

The Senate Republican plan includes:
– Eliminating costly unfunded mandates that drive up local property taxes;
– Protecting businesses from unemployment insurance tax hikes by creating an Unemployment Insurance Solvency Reserve Fund and repealing the interest assessment surcharge, which is the assessment on businesses to pay back the UI Trust Fund’s deficit;
– Repealing Congestion Pricing; and
– Providing relief from heating costs geared toward the middle class.

State Senator George Borrello said in a statement that the $7.8 billion unemployment insurance fund debt is hurting small business owners and that the Republican’s, “..plan would correct this injustice and spare employers, and their customers, from added costs by shifting repayment responsibility to the state and creating a reserve fund to guard against future insolvency.”

ALBANY – The New York State Department of Labor (DOL) announced on Monday the launch of a new application for New Yorkers to apply for traditional Unemployment Insurance or the new COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

“This one-stop-shop for unemployment benefits will connect New Yorkers with the benefits they deserve faster, without requiring them to call the Department of Labor,” the DOL said in a media release sent out Monday morning. 

Prior to Monday, New Yorkers were required to apply for regular Unemployment Insurance and be rejected before applying for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. The state said this was due to “cumbersome federal guidelines.” However, with the new application – which aligns with updated federal policy – New Yorkers will be able to simply fill out one form to get the correct benefits.

In conjunction with the rollout of the improved application, DOL has been deploying over 3,100 representatives solely dedicated to answering unemployment benefit needs seven days a week. This is up from 400 who previously manned the DOL call center prior to the pandemic.

Since the COVID-19 crisis began, DOL has paid approximately $2.2 billion in Unemployment Insurance benefits to 1.1 million New Yorkers. The application call backlog prior to April 8 has been reduced to 4,305 from 275,000.

“I have been unemployed before myself, and I understand the pain, fear and anxiety New Yorkers are facing. The DOL’s mission is to help our neighbors through some of their toughest days, and in the last week we have made great strides in updating our systems,” NYS Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said. “While it appears the coronavirus pandemic is beginning to stabilize — at least from the public health perspective — we know that many New Yorkers are still facing an uncertain economic future, and the Department of Labor will continue to dedicate every resource available to helping New Yorkers weather this storm.”

The updated unemployment benefits application system, available here, will determine which unemployment program — unemployment insurance or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance — New Yorkers should apply for and then prompt them to answer a specific set of questions.  

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which was included in the Federal CARES Act, provides unemployment benefits for individuals who are ineligible for traditional unemployment insurance. Examples of those covered by PUA include:

• Self-employed New Yorkers;
• Independent contractors;
• New Yorkers who worked for an app-based company (i.e. “gig workers”)
• Farmers;
• Those diagnosed with COVID-19 or who have COVD-19 symptoms and are seeking a diagnosis;
• Those living with a household member who has been diagnosed with COVID-19;
• Those providing care for a family or household member diagnosed with COVID-19;
• A primary caregiver for a child unable to attend school or another facility due to COVID-19;
• Those unable to reach their place of employment due to an imposed quarantine or because they have been advised by a medical provider to self-quarantine due to COVID-19;
• Those scheduled to commence new employment that cannot reach their workplace as a direct result of COVID-19;
• Those who became a major breadwinner because the head of their household died from COVID-19;
• Those who quit their job as a direct result of COVID-19;
• Those whose place of employment closed as a direct result of COVID-19;
• Those with insufficient work history and affected by COVID-19; and
• New Yorkers otherwise not qualified for regular or extended UI benefits and affected by COVID-19

In addition, New Yorkers concerned about food insecurity are reminded that resources are available across the state. Anyone looking for assistance can find a local food bank, including those supported by New York State, by visiting Feeding America’s website.

New Yorkers seeking to file an unemployment insurance claim should visit labor.ny.gov or call the Telephone Claim Center at (888) 209-8124.