Good luck with this whole process... the unemployment system is such a mess. Even when you do everything right they find ways to delay or deny claims. I hope you have better luck than I did.

I just want to add that when you do get your medical clearance, make sure you have all your employment documentation ready too. Since you worked full-time for 18 months before your leave, you should definitely meet the work history requirements. But NYS Department of Labor will want to see proof of your wages during your base period. I'd recommend gathering your pay stubs or W-2s now so you're prepared when you can actually file. The transition from SDI to unemployment can be smooth if you have everything organized beforehand.

The NYS Department of Labor system is so ridiculous with all these different programs that don't talk to each other. Why should someone have to worry about gaps in coverage when they're already dealing with health issues? The whole thing needs to be redesigned.

I went through this exact transition about 6 months ago. The most important thing is timing - file your UI claim the week your disability ends, not before. You'll need to certify each week that you're able and available for work, so make sure you have that medical clearance letter handy. One tip: when you're doing your job searches, focus on positions that match your work restrictions. The Department of Labor wants to see you're genuinely looking for work you can actually perform. Also keep detailed records of all your applications because they may ask for proof during your continued claim process.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I finally got through to someone at DOL this morning (called right when they opened and got lucky I guess). They confirmed what most of you said - my benefit year ended so I need to file a new claim, and the money showing in my Maximum Amount Payable from the old claim isn't accessible anymore. They did say I won't have to pay back the payments I received after my BYE date, which is a relief. Apparently it was an automatic extension that was processing, but I still need to file a new claim for ongoing benefits. I'm filing the new claim today and they said to keep certifying weekly without interruption. The agent estimated it would take 2-3 weeks for the new claim to process. Thanks again for all your help!

So glad you got through and got answers! This thread is super helpful for anyone dealing with the same confusion. The NY unemployment system really needs to fix that misleading "exhausted benefits" message - it should clearly state "benefit year ended" instead. For anyone else reading this who might be in a similar situation, the key takeaways seem to be: 1. BYE date matters more than remaining balance 2. Keep certifying weekly no matter what 3. File a new claim after your BYE date passes 4. Any system-authorized payments after BYE typically don't need to be repaid 5. Be prepared for 2-3 weeks processing time for new claims Thanks for updating us with the resolution! Hopefully your new claim processes smoothly.

I'm dealing with this exact same Google Authenticator nightmare right now! Been locked out of my NY.gov ID account for 6 days and I'm getting really stressed because I need to certify my weekly benefits by Sunday. Every time I try to enter the authentication code, it says "invalid authentication code" even though I'm copying it exactly from the app. Reading through everyone's solutions here has been such a huge relief - I had no idea there was a separate self-service recovery process on id.ny.gov or that there was a dedicated ID support line at 844-891-1786. I've been wasting time calling the unemployment line for days with no luck. I'm definitely going to try the self-service recovery first thing tomorrow morning, and I'll make sure to have all my previous addresses and financial info ready for the identity verification questions. If that doesn't work, I'll call the ID support line right at 8:30am when they open. Thanks to everyone who shared their step-by-step experiences - this thread is way more helpful than anything I could find on the official help pages! Planning to switch to SMS authentication immediately once I get back in to avoid this headache again.

I'm currently dealing with this exact same Google Authenticator issue! Been locked out for 2 days now and it's been so stressful trying to get back into my NY.gov ID account. The timing couldn't be worse since I need to certify my weekly benefits soon. Reading through all these detailed solutions has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea there was a separate recovery process on the NY.gov ID site versus just trying to reset my password on the unemployment portal. I'm definitely going to try the self-service recovery on id.ny.gov first thing tomorrow morning with all my previous addresses and financial info ready. If that doesn't work, I'll call the ID support line at 844-891-1786 right when they open at 8:30am. It's such a relief to know there are actual working solutions and that this Google Authenticator sync problem is way more common than I realized. This thread has been more useful than hours of searching their official help pages! Once I get back in, I'm immediately switching to SMS authentication to avoid this nightmare again. Thanks to everyone who shared their step-by-step experiences - you're all lifesavers for those of us dealing with this frustrating system issue!

Make sure you check that your bank routing and account numbers are correct in your my.ny.gov profile. I had a friend whose first payment got delayed by a week because she had one digit wrong in her account number and NYS Department of Labor had to reverse the payment and reissue it.

I went through this exact same situation last month! From my experience, once you see "payment released" on my.ny.gov, it usually takes 2-3 business days for direct deposit. However, since this is your first unemployment payment, your bank might put a temporary hold on it for verification - mine did for 2 extra days. I'd recommend calling your bank to let them know you're expecting an unemployment deposit, as this can sometimes speed up the verification process. Also, make sure to screenshot that "payment released" status in case you need it for reference. Hope this helps and that your payment comes through soon!