I'm new here but this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm not currently dealing with unemployment issues myself, but as someone who works in customer service for a different government agency, reading through all these experiences really highlights how critical communication breakdowns can impact people's lives. The pattern everyone's describing - waiting week processes fine, then complete silence while backend verification issues create holds without any notification - is unfortunately pretty common across different government systems. It's usually not intentional, but rather outdated processes that weren't designed with user experience in mind. What's really impressive is how this community has essentially crowdsourced all the actual solutions that work: the 8am calling strategy, Claimyr service, assembly member contacts, and those in-person assistance events. Christian's success story shows that once you get human intervention, these issues often resolve quickly. For anyone still struggling with this, it sounds like the key is having multiple approaches ready and not giving up on weekly certification. The fact that everyone who's resolved their situation got full backpay is really encouraging. This community is clearly filling a huge gap where official support channels are failing!

I'm new to this community and just wanted to say how incredibly valuable this entire thread has been! I'm currently dealing with a similar situation - my waiting week was processed about 10 days ago but I haven't seen any payments since. Reading through everyone's experiences has been both reassuring and frustrating at the same time. What really stands out to me is how consistent this pattern is across so many different cases: waiting week processes fine, then complete radio silence while some backend issue creates a hold that nobody bothers to tell us about. It's honestly mind-blowing that in 2025, a major state agency doesn't have basic automated notifications for claim holds. Christian's successful resolution through Claimyr gives me a lot of hope, and I'm really grateful for all the practical solutions people have shared here. I'm planning to start with the 8am calling strategy tomorrow morning since multiple people have confirmed that timing works best, but it's reassuring to know about backup options like Claimyr and contacting assembly members if the direct approach doesn't work. The most important takeaway for me is continuing to certify weekly while working through this - knowing that I'll eventually get all the backpay once whatever mysterious hold gets cleared makes the waiting much more bearable. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their real experiences and solutions. This community is providing way better guidance than any official NYSDOL resource I've found!

Congrats Romeo! I just went through this exact same situation about 3 months ago and can totally relate to that mix of relief and anxiety - finally winning the appeal but then wondering when you'll actually see the money! In my experience, NYS DOL was surprisingly efficient once the decision was made. I got my first retroactive payment exactly 4 business days after receiving the approval letter, and they sent it in 3 separate deposits over about 10 days (seemed to be grouped by benefit year periods). One thing that really helped me was logging into my account and updating my direct deposit info even though it hadn't changed - apparently that can sometimes speed up the processing. Also echoing what others said about continuing those weekly certifications religiously! The back pay is automatic once approved, but you need those current certs to keep your ongoing benefits flowing smoothly. After dealing with 2 months of financial stress, you should hopefully see that first payment hit your account by early next week. Fingers crossed it comes through quickly for you!

Congratulations Romeo! That's such amazing news after 2 months of stress and uncertainty. I'm actually in a similar boat - just got my appeal decision last week after a 7-week wait, and like you, I'm trying to figure out the payment timeline. From what I've been reading online and from others' experiences, it sounds like NYS DOL is usually pretty quick with processing payments once the appeal decision is made - most people seem to get their first retroactive payment within 3-7 business days. I'm expecting about 6 weeks of back pay myself, so I totally understand that mix of relief and anxiety about when the money will actually show up! One thing my cousin mentioned (she went through this last year) is to make sure you keep doing your weekly certifications even while waiting for the retroactive payments, because the system needs those to process everything correctly going forward. Really hoping both of us see our payments hit our accounts soon - we've definitely earned it after dealing with all this bureaucratic mess!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Just uploaded my required documents about 30 minutes ago and got that dreaded blank page with zero confirmation. Reading through everyone's experiences here is such a huge relief - I was literally about to start the whole upload process over again thinking I'd broken something. It's honestly mind-boggling that in 2025 a government system can't provide a simple "upload successful" message, but at least now I know this is a widespread issue and not just me. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences, especially @Yara Nassar for the update that your docs were actually received despite no confirmation, and @Mei Liu for the tip about checking the claim status timeline instead of looking for a Documents tab. Going to follow the advice here and wait 3-5 business days before panicking. Fingers crossed the system actually worked behind the scenes!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Just uploaded all my documents for my NY unemployment claim and got the blank page with absolutely no confirmation. I was starting to panic thinking I'd have to redo everything, but reading through all these comments is such a relief. It's incredible that in 2025 we still have to deal with government systems that can't provide basic upload confirmations. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here - it's so helpful to know this is a widespread system issue and not something I did wrong. Based on what everyone's saying, I'm going to wait the 3-5 business days before trying to contact them. Hopefully they fix this confirmation bug soon since it's clearly causing unnecessary stress for people who are already dealing with the challenges of unemployment!

I'm in a similar situation - got fired last month for what my manager called "performance issues" but I feel like they were looking for reasons to let me go. Reading through these responses is really encouraging, especially knowing that being fired doesn't automatically disqualify you. The documentation advice is spot on - I wish I had kept better records of the issues I was having at work. For anyone else going through this, don't be discouraged by what your employer tells you about your eligibility. The NYS Department of Labor makes the final determination, not your former boss. File your claim and let them review the facts.

I went through almost the exact same situation about 6 months ago - got fired for attendance when I had legitimate medical reasons and car trouble. The good news is that NYS Department of Labor really does look at the whole picture, not just what your employer claims. When I filed my initial claim, I made sure to explain in detail about my medical appointments and car breakdowns in the "reason for separation" section. They actually called me for a phone interview about 2 weeks later to get more details, and I was approved. My advice is to be completely honest about everything when you file - don't try to downplay the attendance issues, but make sure you explain the legitimate reasons behind them. The fact that you had a family emergency and car problems shows these weren't just you being irresponsible. Keep any documentation you have (repair bills, family emergency details) and upload them if possible. You've got nothing to lose by applying, and from what you've described, you have a good chance of getting approved.

Just wanted to add some practical advice - when you file your weekly claims, keep detailed records of your hours and earnings from both jobs. I use a simple spreadsheet to track everything week by week. Also, if your delivery job pays through apps like DoorDash or Uber, make sure you're tracking those 1099 earnings carefully since they don't withhold taxes. The NYS Department of Labor will want accurate gross earnings reported, and having good records will save you headaches if they ever audit your claim.

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago! Had a part-time office job that cut my hours from 30 to 10 per week, plus I was working weekends at a catering company. The NYS Department of Labor was actually pretty helpful once I got through to them. The key thing is that you're eligible for partial unemployment benefits because you had a "qualifying reduction in hours" - doesn't matter that you still have the other job. Just make sure when you file that you use the retail job (the one that cut your hours) as your primary employer for the claim. You'll still need to report all income from both jobs each week, but as long as your total weekly earnings are below your weekly benefit amount plus the $50 disregard, you'll get some benefits. With your current $180/week total, you should definitely qualify for something. Good luck!