have u tried calling them? sometimes u have to just do it by phone

Just wanted to follow up - were you able to get your claim filed? The mobile site trick works well, but if you're still having issues, try the NY unemployment office's alternate claim filing system at labor.ny.gov/altclaim (it's a simplified version they don't advertise much). Also, Tuesdays and Wednesdays typically have lower traffic than Mondays and Fridays.

wht about twitter? i tweeted at the nysdol account with my issue (didnt include personal info) and got a DM asking for my info within a day. worth trying maybe?

UPDATE: I took several of your suggestions! I contacted my state assembly person this morning (thanks for that tip), and also used Claimyr to get through to an agent. The agent told me my claim had an "identity verification pending" flag that I was never notified about! Apparently I needed to upload additional documents but the notification email went to spam. The agent helped me submit everything right over the phone. Assembly person's office also said they'd follow up to make sure it gets processed quickly. Thank you all for the help - feeling hopeful for the first time in weeks.

hey my cousin works for social services and says you should apply for emergency cash assistance too, its different from unemployment and they can help faster when u have a baby

I just want to follow up - were you able to make any progress with your claim? Did you try any of the suggestions here?

Just to clarify something important: during this whole process of invalidation and reinstatement, you MUST continue to certify for benefits every week as if nothing changed. Even though you won't see payments immediately, the system is still recording your certifications and will pay you retroactively once the claim is fully processed. If you miss certifying for any week thinking "why bother, my claim is on hold anyway," you will not receive payment for that week when everything is finally processed.

@profile4 - Yes, it's confusing because what the specialist does on their end doesn't always reflect correctly in your online account right away. If you can't access the system to certify while your claim shows as invalid, you should call and speak to a representative who can take your certification by phone. Make sure to explain your situation so they understand why you're certifying by phone. Alternatively, once your claim is reinstated, you can request backdated certifications for any weeks you missed due to access issues. There's a specific form for this on the NY DOL website.

My cousin works for the tourism board upstate and she said they're prioritizing businesses that can show they're retaining jobs through programs like Shared Work. So make sure you highlight that in your application - that you're using both programs together to keep people employed. Apparently they're looking for that specifically this year.

One important distinction that hasn't been mentioned: The 2025 Tourism Recovery Fund program requires you to demonstrate that at least 25% of your business revenue comes from out-of-state visitors. They're asking for different documentation this year than in previous programs, so start gathering: 1. Visitor logs/data showing geographic origins 2. Credit card transaction data showing out-of-state cards 3. Booking platform data showing customer origins This is in ADDITION to the financial loss documentation. The Shared Work program doesn't have this requirement since it's focused on employee retention rather than tourism specifically.