I filed my unemployment claim back in August and it's been sitting in pending status for over 3 months now. I managed to speak with a rep in November who promised they would 'escalate' my case and said a decision would be made by the following Monday. That was weeks ago and nothing has changed. I've been certifying every week since August but haven't received a single payment. I've been calling repeatedly every single day but can never get through to an actual person - just constant busy signals or disconnections. At this point I'm falling behind on everything - rent is overdue, utilities sending final notices, and the bank just called about repossessing my vehicle. I'm at my absolute wits end and don't know what else to do. Anyone actually managed to get through this nightmare system and get their benefits?

My benefit year is ending on 2/11/23 but I still have 52 effective days left on my claim. Do I need to file a new claim after my BYE date or can I continue using my remaining days first? I've been getting conflicting info from different sources. Some people say I need to file a new claim immediately after the BYE date, others say I can exhaust my remaining days first. I tried checking the ny unemployment website but the FAQs don't clearly address this situation. Anyone been through this recently and know the correct procedure? Don't want to mess up my payments.

Wondering if anyone knows how long it takes to process a new unemployment claim in NY state. I got laid off from my job in March due to budget cuts and filed my claim on April 5th. It's now been almost four weeks and my claim still says "pending." I've been checking my account online every day but nothing has changed. Tried calling the unemployment office at least 15 times but can't get through to a human - just the same automated messages. I'm getting really worried because rent is due next week and I only have about $470 left in my checking account. My landlord already warned tenants he's not being flexible with late payments anymore. Has anyone filed recently and knows how long this typically takes? Is there something else I should be doing to speed things up?

I've been trying for weeks to get through to someone at the unemployment office. Every time I call the main number (888-209-8124), I either get disconnected, stuck in an endless loop of automated messages, or told to call back later because of high call volume. I filed my claim back in March after getting laid off from my restaurant job, and there's some kind of issue with my account that the website doesn't explain. Just says "pending review" but it's been almost 7 weeks now with no payment. I've sent messages through the online portal but nobody responds. Does anyone know a direct number or extension where I can actually speak to a human being? Or any tricks to get through the main line? I'm desperate at this point - rent is due next week and my savings are almost gone.

So my unemployment claim was finally approved as eligible about 6 weeks ago, including authorization for retroactive payments. When I spoke with the claims specialist, she helped me certify for all my previous weeks and told me to just keep certifying weekly moving forward. I've been getting my regular weekly payments for about 5 weeks now without any issues, but still haven't seen a dime of the retroactive money they approved. The weird thing is, before my claim was approved, I could actually reach the call center pretty easily. Now it's like I've been blacklisted or something. I've tried calling at least 25 times each day, especially right when they open at 8am, and I immediately get the automated message saying to call back tomorrow. It's like they're screening my number or something. I've also sent 5 different messages through my online portal over the past month asking about my back pay status and haven't gotten a single response. Is anyone else experiencing this? It feels like they approved me just to shut me up and now they're hoping I'll forget about the substantial amount of back pay they owe me. Any suggestions on how to actually reach a human being?