BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — New York is replacing its decades-old unemployment insurance system with a $188 million upgrade, but the transition will temporarily shut down services and delay benefit payments for people out of work.
The New York State Department of Labor says the upgrade will begin Monday, November 2, at 5 p.m. The current system, which dates back more than 50 years, will go offline for an estimated nine to 12 days.
Anyone currently collecting unemployment should make sure to file their weekly claim before 5 p.m. Monday to ensure their payments arrive as scheduled.
During the shutdown, New Yorkers will not be able to file new unemployment claims, certify for weekly benefits or access and update their accounts. Phone-based services will also be unavailable.
"You're not allowed into the system at this point," said Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. "We will let you know when it's time and then you can go in and start your application. Those are the people that I'm most concerned about is somebody who's never been on unemployment and loses their job on November 5th."
Reardon says the department will process claims submitted over the weekend before beginning the transition, which includes migrating more than five billion records into the new system.
While payments will be delayed, the department says no one will lose benefits they are entitled to receive. People will be able to certify for those weeks once the upgraded system is available and receive their payments retroactively.
People who lose their jobs during the shutdown will have to wait until the new system is online to file a claim. They will be able to backdate their applications.
The department is also reminding people to continue completing and documenting at least three work search activities each week during the shutdown, unless they are exempt from that requirement.
WATCH: New York replacing decades-old unemployment system; temporary shutdown will delay payments
Reardon says the new system, known as Unemployment Services, has been nearly a decade in the making and is designed to make the process easier for both individuals and businesses.
"Our customers will be able to use their smartphones for all of their work, their certifications, they can start a new application, they can submit documents all from a smartphone," Reardon said.
The new platform will also allow people to track the progress of their applications in real time. Reardon says a feature the department calls the "pizza tracker" will show users where their application stands.
"So you don't have to wonder what's going on, it's either pending or paid, and it'll be a much cleaner operation," she said.
Reardon says the new system will also be more familiar and easier to navigate than the technology it replaces.
"It will be much more familiar in the look and feel because it's modern, it wasn't built in 1978," she said.
Businesses will also have 24/7 online access to unemployment services, replacing some of the older processes that required documents to be submitted by fax.
The Department of Labor says it will notify customers when the upgraded system is available. New Yorkers can find additional information and sign up for email or text updates at dol.ny.gov/unemployment.
