Has anyone had luck with contacting their state representative? I've heard mixed things.

I went through this exact same thing earlier this year. Here's what finally worked for me: 1. File a complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney General's office online. They have a specific form for unemployment issues and they actually follow up. 2. Try calling the DUA callback system at 877-626-6800. You can request a callback instead of waiting on hold for hours. 3. Send a certified letter to the DUA director outlining your situation with timeline and case number. Sometimes physical mail gets more attention than online submissions. 4. If you're really desperate, try the LiveChat feature on the DUA website during off-peak hours (like 7-8am). It's hit or miss but I've seen people get through. The hold usually means they need to verify something - could be your identity, work history, or reason for separation. Once you get through to someone, ask specifically what's causing the hold so you can address it directly. Don't give up! It took me 8 weeks but I eventually got all my back pay. The system is broken but squeaky wheels do get greased eventually.

I'm going through something similar right now - claim has been on hold for 3 weeks and it's so frustrating! Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like unreported income might be the culprit. I had a few freelance projects I didn't think to report initially. Going to update my earnings info today and see if that helps move things along. Thanks for posting this - it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one dealing with this mess!

I'm in a very similar situation - my claim has been on hold for about 6 weeks now and it's been incredibly stressful! After reading through everyone's experiences here, I'm realizing I probably made the same mistake with unreported income. I did some house cleaning through Care.com and some small graphic design projects that I didn't think were significant enough to report. Clearly I was wrong! Going to update all my earnings info today and try that 8:05 AM calling strategy. It's such a relief to see I'm not the only one dealing with this - the whole process feels so confusing and intimidating when you're going through it alone. Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories and advice, especially about being thorough with reporting ALL income no matter how small. Fingers crossed this gets resolved soon for all of us! 🤞

Welcome to the club, buddy. We're all in the same boat here. I've been trying for weeks and still no luck. It's like they're purposely making it impossible to talk to a human 🙄

I feel your pain! I've been in the same endless loop for over a week now. One thing that's helped me stay sane is calling during lunch hours (around 12-1 PM) when maybe fewer people are trying. Also, I've started using a bluetooth headset so I can at least do other things while on hold. The whole system is definitely broken, but we just have to keep pushing through. Stay strong! 💪

Thanks everyone! This is really helpful. I guess I'll just have to file and see what they calculate. At least now I understand it's not just a simple percentage of my last paycheck.

Just to add some clarity to what others have said - the base period calculation can be tricky to understand at first. Since you mentioned you've been at your retail job for a year and a half at $18/hour, that should work in your favor since you'll have consistent earnings across multiple quarters. The good news is that retail wages are typically "covered employment" so they'll count toward your benefit calculation. One thing to keep in mind is that your actual weekly benefit might be slightly different than the rough 50% calculation because DUA uses a specific formula that factors in your highest and total quarterly earnings. Don't stress too much about trying to calculate it yourself - once you file, they'll do all the math and send you a determination letter that breaks everything down clearly.

One thing that helped me was writing down all my employer info before starting the application. dates of employment, final day worked, reason for separation, gross wages for each job. having it all organized made the process way smoother

I went through this process about 6 months ago and here's what I wish someone had told me upfront: Download the DUA mobile app too - sometimes it works better than the website when the system is overloaded. Also, take screenshots of every page as you go through the application process. I had a glitch where my application seemed to disappear and having those screenshots helped prove I had submitted everything correctly. The whole process from filing to receiving first payment took about 3 weeks for me, but that was without any complications. Most importantly, don't panic if you make a small mistake - you can usually correct it later, but like others said, don't wait to file thinking you need everything perfect first.