I called the governors office and complained. They took down my info and forwarded it to some special dept at unemployment. Got a call back within 2 days and they fixed my missing payments from 2020. Worth a try!

check ur spam folder!! not kidding. my friend had a similar issue and turns out NYSDOL had been emailing him asking for additional verification but all the emails went to spam. once he submitted what they wanted he got paid within 2 weeks.

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.

What was your exact denial reason? Sometimes the letters are super vague but theres a specific code at the bottom that tells the real reason. Can you check what code it shows?

ok so bear with me cuz this is gonna be long but I'm gonna tell you exactly what to do. I worked at nysdol for 3 years so I know the insider tricks. First, you need to formally appeal - but don't JUST appeal. Also submit a separate request for reconsideration based on COVID-related circumstances. These are processed differently and you want both going at once. Second, call the appeals phone line (NOT the regular UI line) early in the morning like 7:55am right before they open at 8. You're more likely to get through. Third, contact your state assembly member AND state senator simultaneously. Their offices have direct contacts at DOL who can expedite cases. Fourth, if all else fails, there's a backdoor method: file a complaint with the NYS Department of Financial Services. They have regulatory oversight and can sometimes get action when nothing else works. Fifth, try using claimyr.com to get through to an agent if you keep failing to connect. Many people on this forum have had success with it. The system is designed to be frustrating but with persistence you WILL get through. Don't give up! As a single mom you absolutely deserve these benefits that you've paid into through your work history. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

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

While you're dealing with NY unemployment, make sure you're taking steps to protect yourself elsewhere too! Immediately: 1. Place fraud alerts with all 3 credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) 2. Consider freezing your credit completely 3. Change passwords on ALL your accounts, especially email and banking 4. Set up 2-factor authentication everywhere possible 5. Monitor your bank accounts daily for suspicious activity 6. Check your credit reports weekly (they're free right now) 7. File an identity theft report at identitytheft.gov If someone has enough of your info to file an unemployment claim, they might try other types of fraud too. I learned this the hard way after my unemployment account was compromised last year and then they tried opening credit cards in my name too. Be proactive! For dealing with NY unemployment specifically, after wasting DAYS trying to call them myself, I finally used claimyr.com which got me through to a rep who could actually help. Talking to an agent got my account secured immediately which was crucial to stopping the fraudsters.

Pro tip: document EVERYTHING. Take screenshots of your account showing the fraudulent claim, write down dates and times of all calls, get names of representatives you speak with, and save case numbers. I'm still dealing with tax issues from a fraudulent claim that happened to me last year because I didn't have enough documentation to prove it wasn't me who received the benefits.