ugh the whole unemployment system is such a mess. took me FOREVER to even get my first payment and then when i called to ask about the amount they gave me the runaround for hours. the average payment doesnt matter if you cant even get approved in the first place!!

Based on what I've seen from friends and family, most people I know get somewhere between $250-350 per week. Really depends on what you were making before though.

The base period thing caught me too - I thought if I worked and paid into unemployment I'd automatically qualify but there's all these weird timing rules. Make sure when you reapply you wait until you have enough quarters of earnings in your base period.

Wait I'm confused about the base period thing too. If someone worked for 6 months wouldn't that be enough? How many quarters do you need exactly? I might have the same problem when my temp job ends next month.

I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to get clarification on my disqualification. The phone lines are always busy and online messages take forever. I ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and redialing.

The whole system is ridiculous honestly. They disqualify people left and right for the smallest reasons then make you jump through hoops to prove you deserve benefits you already paid into through your taxes!!

The NYS Department of Labor system is completely broken. They'll tell you 2-3 weeks but that's total BS. I know people who waited 2+ months just for an initial determination. And don't even get me started on trying to reach them by phone - it's designed to frustrate you into giving up.

Just keep filing your weekly claims while you wait! That's super important. Even if your initial claim is still processing, you need to certify each week or you'll lose those benefits permanently. I made that mistake early on and lost 3 weeks of payments.

If you're having trouble getting through to the NYS Department of Labor when you have questions about claim statuses like this, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you actually reach a live agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I used it when I needed to talk to someone about my adjudication status and actually got through instead of sitting on hold for hours.

The processing - web status is just part of their normal workflow. Once it clears processing, you'll see it change to released and then your payment will be deposited according to your usual schedule. Don't stress about it unless it stays in processing for more than a week - that would indicate a potential issue that might need follow-up.