btw has anyone else noticed the website is always "down for maintenance" exactly when you need to certify? like they do it on purpose to make it harder

UPDATE: I finally got through to NYSDOL this morning! I followed multiple pieces of advice from this thread: 1. Called right at 8am 2. Asked specifically for a claims specialist 3. Mentioned the July system glitch affecting my pending certifications The specialist confirmed that my pending weeks will NOT disappear in September (which was my main worry). She said the July glitch affected a lot of people and they're still working through the backlog. She was able to release two of my three pending payments, and said the third one needs additional review but should be processed within 7-10 business days. So relieved! Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions!

my brother said if u press 0 three times it sometimes works but i dunno never worked for me lol

UPDATE: I finally got through!!! Used that Claimyr service someone mentioned above and it actually worked. Had to wait about 30 mins but that's way better than the 2+ hours I was waiting before (and then getting disconnected). The agent fixed my pending payment issue - turns out there was a "verification flag" on my account that needed to be removed. Payment should process in 2-3 business days! Thanks everyone for your help!

I HATE these scammers!! My brother almost fell for a similar scam last month - they told him he qualified for some special 'job training fund' that required his banking info to 'deposit the benefit.' He was desperate and almost sent them everything before I stopped him. The unemployment system is ALREADY confusing enough without these vultures making it worse. And of course when you call the actual unemployment office to verify, you can never get through!!

Update: I finally got through to a representative at NYSDOL this morning. They confirmed this is absolutely a scam - there is no tourism recovery program connected to unemployment benefits. They placed a note on my account about the phishing attempt and suggested I monitor my credit report for the next few months just as a precaution. Thanks everyone for your help!

That's awesome! I'm still waiting but managed to get through to someone this morning who also promised to expedite my review. Did your payment status change on the website before the money arrived, or did it just show up in your account?

My payment status changed to \

my cousin works for nys unemployment and she said they have a huge backlog of these supplement payment issues. apparently the federal money and state money come from different sources and sometimes the systems dont talk to each other right. dont give up!

UPDATE: I wanted to let everyone know what happened! I finally got this resolved today. After calling using the Claimyr service (which actually worked great btw), I was connected to an agent in about 15 minutes. I specifically asked for a Tier 2 specialist who handles payment reconciliation and mentioned the Technical Directive TD-25-047. The agent initially tried to tell me the same story about not being able to reissue just the federal portion, but when I mentioned the directive by number, they put me on hold to consult with a supervisor. When they came back, they confirmed they could submit a Form TC-403B to reissue the federal supplements! They said I should see the payment within 7-10 business days. I'll update again when/if it actually comes through. Thank you all so much for your help - especially the specific advice about the technical directive and payment resolution team!