8 months and STILL no determination on my ny unemployment claim - feeling hopeless

Holy crap, 8 months!? That's insane even for NY unemployment. Try reaching out to every possible elected official - not just one. I emailed my assemblywoman, state senator, AND congressman all at once. The congressman's office was actually the one that finally got things moving for me after 4 months of waiting.

After struggling with the phone lines for weeks, I finally found a service called Claimyr that got me through to a live agent in about 40 minutes. It was the only way I could actually talk to a real person about my claim. They called and stayed on hold for me, then connected me when an agent picked up. Best decision ever - talking to an actual person got my claim moving forward after months of nothing. Check them out at claimyr.com or watch this: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

This happened to me too! I waited for 6 months and literally got NOTHING. No updates, no determination, no payments. What finally worked was filing a complaint with the state Attorney General's office. Look up 'NY Attorney General consumer complaint' and file one online. I got a call from unemployment within 10 days after that.

NY unemployment is a complete disaster rn. My claim from February got denied in August (6 months later!!!) for some bullshit reason and now im stuck in appeals hell. The system is designed to make people give up. Don't let them win.

Have you been filing your weekly certifications this whole time? Make sure you keep doing that even without a determination. If you eventually get approved, they'll only pay for weeks you properly certified.

Unfortunately you're def not alone. The NY unemployment system is completely overwhelmed and understaffed. I got stuck in limbo for 5 months and what finally worked was getting through to a tier 2 specialist. Regular agents cant help with complex claims or determinations. Here's what worked for me: 1. When calling, specifically ask for a "claim specialist" or "tier 2 agent" - don't waste time with the frontline people 2. Contact EVERY elected official who reps you - not just one. Assembly, Senate, Congress, even the Governor's office 3. File an official complaint with the Dept of Labor - there's a form on their website 4. If those don't work in 14 days, file a complaint with the state Attorney General 5. For immediate help getting through the phone system, I used claimyr.com which got me past the hold times Don't give up! The system is frustrating by design, but persistence eventually pays off. My entire 5 months of backpay came through at once after I finally got to a specialist.

I know it sounds weird but try contacting them on Twitter. Send a DM to @NYSLabor with your issue (no personal info). They responded to me within a day and had someone call me directly.

its ridiculous that ppl are waiting 8+ months for basic determination!!! in what universe is that acceptable?? the system is completely broken 😤

I worked for the state (not unemployment) but know how things work. Your claim is probably stuck in what they call "adjudication limbo" - basically means there's some issue that requires a specialist review. Problem is there are way too few adjudicators. You NEED to get someone on the phone who can check your file and see exactly where it's stuck and why.

Ugh this brings back nightmares. I was stuck in determination hell for 4 months last year. What worked for me was calling at EXACTLY 7:30am when they first open. Still had to wait but at least got through. Asked for a supervisor immediately.

document EVERYTHING. every call, email, letter. names of agents u speak with, confirmation #s, dates/times. when u finally get thru to someone who can help, having all this info will be crucial to show how long u been waiting.

Have you tried faxing them? I know it sounds ancient but I couldn't get anywhere for months until I sent a fax with my claim info and a brief explanation of the situation. Got a call back 3 days later.

the unemployment system is literally designed to make us give up. don't stop fighting for what you're owed. all these "delays" and "backlogs" are just BS excuses to avoid paying people. keep on their ass!!! 💯

This might sound crazy but check if your old employer is contesting your claim. I waited forever and finally found out my ex-boss was fighting it. Once I proved he was lying about why I left, my determination came through in a week.

Listen you need to be WAY more aggressive with your approach. One assemblyperson isn't enough. I was in the same boat (7 months waiting) and I literally: - Called every day, multiple times - Emailed every elected official who represents my address - Filed complaints with DOL, AG's office, and Governor - Got a legal aid attorney involved It's exhausting and unfair but the squeaky wheel gets the oil in this broken system. Make yourself impossible to ignore.

Same thing happened to me!!! I waited 9 months with no determination. Turns out they had flagged my account for "identity verification" but never sent me the notice to verify!! What finally worked was using claimyr.com to get through to an agent who could actually see what the hold up was. Fixed in one call after 9 months of nothing.

Have you checked your spam/junk email? Sometimes they send important notices that get filtered out. Also check your online account message center - some communications only show up there and don't get emailed.

Seriously try claimyr.com - I was in the same boat stuck for months with no determination. Got through to someone immediately who saw there was a simple flag on my account that needed to be removed. No one had looked at my file in 6 months! Once I actually talked to the right person, it got fixed in one day. Best money I ever spent after months of frustration.