New York State raised the weekly maximum unemployment insurance benefit rate to $869 on Monday, the first state raise in the weekly rate since 2019. Before Monday, the maximum rate was $504. NYS Commissioner of Labor Roberta Reardon and Gov. Kathy Hochul ushered in the change Wednesday morning. Though the new rate went into effect Monday, New Yorkers can expect to see the change reflected in unemployment checks starting next week.
The Labor Department is planning to require states to hand over sensitive unemployment information in the name of fighting fraud. The plan, detailed in a notice of proposed rulemaking issued on Friday, would require states to hand over confidential unemployment claims information to federal officials. The department is also considering creating a national claims database for oversight and audits, it says in the notice.