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I swear they do this on purpose right before deadlines to reduce how many people can claim benefits. It's a broken system designed to be broken. 😤
Try calling the alternate number: 1-888-209-8124. Their main line is always jammed but sometimes this one has shorter wait times.
use claimyr.com if you can't get through. way easier than trying yourself
Fun fact: NY unemployment system was built in the 1980s and runs on COBOL. They had to call retired programmers back during covid because nobody knows how to maintain it anymore. The whole system is literally held together with digital duct tape. 🤡
I was in your exact situation last year. Finally got through after using claimyr.com to reach an agent. Turns out there was a flag on my account because my former employer challenged my unemployment claim. The agent removed the hold and I got all my backpay two weeks later. Definitely worth trying!
If your claim says you didn't earn enough but you know you did, you NEED to talk to someone. I had the EXACT same issue and it turned out they had my employer's quarterly report missing. Once I got through and explained, they fixed it right away and I got backpay for everything. KEEP TRYING!
This whole thing reminds me of when I tried getting concert tickets back in the day. Site would crash, phone lines busy. The unemployment system is stuck in 1995 while trying to handle 2023 problems.
Almost certain this is related to your hearing. There's an automatic hold placed on accounts during the decision finalization process even if you won the hearing. Stupid policy but that's how it works.
fyi u can request an emergency payment if ur in dire need. there's a specific phrase to use when u call: "i need to request a hardship advance due to pending determination" - they're required to respond to these within 72 hrs
Dominic Green
took 9 days for my account to update after the video call then another 3 days for money to hit my bank. they told me 14 days too but it was faster. video call lady was nice but the whole process was weird af, felt like i was applying for a top secret clearance not just tryin to get my unemployment lol
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Hannah Flores
The whole ID verification thing is because of the MASSIVE amount of fraud happening with unemployment. My neighbor works for DOL and says they're catching hundreds of fake claims daily. It sucks for legit people like us but at least they're trying to protect the system. Mine took 13 days to process back in February.
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Kayla Jacobson
•Good to know there's actually a reason for the ridiculous process. Still frustrating when you're waiting for $$$ tho
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Hannah Flores
•Yeah frustrating for sure. But blame the scammers, not DOL. They're just trying to make sure real people get their benefits.
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