


Ask the community...
One more thing to consider - check if your county has any COVID relief funds still available. Some NY counties received extended funding and haven't used it all up. You'd need to call your specific county social services department to ask. Also, if you paid into an optional 1099 disability insurance plan through a private insurer (not the state program), you should contact them immediately. Some private disability plans do cover illness including COVID.
For Albany County specifically, contact the Department of Social Services at (518) 447-7300. They've had some targeted emergency assistance programs for situations like yours. As for next steps, I'd recommend: 1. Call the NYS unemployment office for clarification (using the Claimyr service someone mentioned might help you get through faster) 2. Contact Albany DSS about emergency funds 3. Look into whether you can apply for SNAP benefits (food stamps) temporarily while you recover 4. Check if you qualify for an emergency rental assistance program if housing costs are a concern Don't give up - there are resources available, even if traditional unemployment isn't an option!
my brother had same problem last month and he went in person to the career center and they helped him!! not sure if theres one near u but maybe worth a shot??
This is good advice. While career centers can't directly fix claim issues, they can often help escalate cases or provide guidance on next steps. The NY Department of Labor website has a page listing all career center locations.
UPDATE: Finally got through!!! Used the payment trace number that someone suggested here, called at 8:01am, and got a real person after only 12 minutes on hold. My issue was that there was an "identity verification flag" on my account that no one told me about. They needed me to upload my ID again (even though I did this when I first applied). The agent removed the hold and said my payments should resume within 3 business days. THANK YOU everyone for your help and suggestions!!
After reading through this thread, I want to clarify something important: When your benefit year ends, your claim ends - this is standard procedure and has been part of UI for decades. The notices being sent now are not unusual, though the timing (only one week notice) is problematic. What IS different now compared to previous years is that there are fewer extended benefit programs available. For those who've exhausted regular UI and haven't found work, this creates a significant hardship that wasn't as common in recent years when more safety nets were in place. For immediate help, 211 is a resource hotline that can connect you to local emergency assistance programs.
After you've addressed your immediate needs through the emergency programs others have suggested, I strongly recommend connecting with your local Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) office. They offer job training, resume assistance, and sometimes can help with direct placement into positions that match your skills. Sometimes they have grants for people in your exact situation.
just got my recovery payment today! $1176 after taxes. timeline was: 1st docusign march 2, 2nd docusign march 18, payment april 2. hope everyone else gets theirs soon
FINAL UPDATE: Got my second DocuSign this morning! Filled it out right away. For anyone else waiting, definitely don't just sit around like I did. Either try calling (good luck) or use a service to get through. Turns out my issue was simple to fix but would have never been resolved if I hadn't spoken to someone directly. The agent said to expect payment within 14 business days after submitting the second form.
Thanks for coming back to update! Did they tell you if there will be another email confirming they received your second DocuSign? I submitted mine yesterday but haven't heard anything back.
Dylan Campbell
This is an excellent list! I'd add one more tip: When you do get through to someone, ask them to leave detailed notes on your account about what was discussed and any next steps. Then get the confirmation number for that call. This helped me tremendously when I had to call back multiple times - I could reference the previous conversation by confirmation number which proved I wasn't getting different stories each time.
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Ava Thompson
I've been told SIX different things by SIX different reps over the last 2 months! Next time I'm definitely asking for that confirmation number. They act like we're making stuff up when THEY'RE the ones giving contradictory information!
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