The whole system is designed to make it as difficult as possible to get help when you need it most. I've been trying to figure out how to apply for more unemployment benefits for weeks and every NYS Department of Labor rep gives me different information.

I went through this exact same situation a few months ago! After my 26 weeks ran out, I was able to file a new claim because I had worked enough during my benefit year. The key thing to know is that NY looks at your wages earned AFTER your original claim start date. I had to wait until my full benefit year ended (365 days from my first claim) before I could apply for the new claim. When I finally did apply through my.ny.gov, it took about 2-3 weeks to get approved. Just make sure you have all your employment records ready from any work you did during your previous claim period, even if it was part-time or temporary work.

There are some exceptions though. If you work for the school in a non-instructional capacity (like maintenance or administration) and you're truly laid off for the summer with no guarantee of work, you might qualify. Also, if you work multiple jobs and lose your non-school job, you could potentially get partial benefits. The key is whether you have that 'reasonable assurance' of returning.

As someone who's dealt with this exact situation, I can tell you it's really frustrating! I worked as a substitute teacher for 2 years and was always told I couldn't get benefits during summer because of the "reasonable assurance" rule. Even though substitute work isn't guaranteed, most districts consider you to have reasonable assurance if you've been on their sub list and they expect to call you back. The tricky part is that every district handles this differently - some give more definitive answers about summer employment than others. I'd suggest checking with your district's HR department first to see what they consider your status to be, then apply if you think you might qualify. Worst case, NYS Department of Labor will make the determination and you'll know for sure.

This thread is so helpful! I'm in a similar situation - been waiting 4 weeks for my waiting week credit and getting absolutely nowhere with the regular DOL number. Definitely going to try that Teleclaim line (888-209-8124) tomorrow morning at 8am. The glitch issue where it shows "served" but isn't actually credited sounds exactly like what's happening to me. Has anyone had luck getting through later in the day with the Teleclaim number or is early morning still the best bet? Really appreciate everyone sharing their actual experiences instead of just the generic "keep calling" advice you get everywhere else!

Just wanted to add my experience to help others! I was stuck in waiting week limbo for 5 weeks and finally got it resolved last week using the Teleclaim number (888-209-8124) that @e48375666769 shared. Called at 8:05am and got through in about 25 minutes. The rep immediately saw the issue - my waiting week was showing as "served" in the system but hadn't actually been credited due to what she called a "processing error." She fixed it on the spot and I got my backpay 4 days later. For anyone still struggling, definitely try the Teleclaim line early morning and specifically mention you need them to check if your waiting week credit was properly applied, not just served. Don't let them brush you off saying "it's processing" - ask them to verify the credit actually went through. This thread literally saved me weeks of frustration!

Hey Katherine! I just went through this exact process about 6 weeks ago and wanted to share my experience to hopefully help calm your nerves a bit. I was also staying with family (my brother) who kept asking about the money situation daily - so I completely understand that added pressure! My timeline was: Completed ID.me on a Friday → Payment status changed from "on hold" to "pending" the following Wednesday → Got paid that Friday with all 5 weeks of back pay in one lump sum. So about 7 calendar days total, 5 business days. The key things I learned: 1) That status change from "on hold" to "pending" in your online account is your first real sign that things are moving, and 2) Most people do get ALL their back weeks paid at once, not just going forward. For dealing with your uncle, what worked for me was being super specific about the timeline. I told my brother "based on everyone's experience, it takes 3-8 business days to process, so let's check back next Tuesday." Having that concrete date really reduced the daily check-ins! Since you completed ID.me yesterday, I'd watch for that status change early next week. If you're still showing "on hold" by next Thursday, that's when I'd definitely call NYSDOL. But honestly, you did the hardest part - the verification itself. Now it's just waiting for their system to catch up. You should have your money soon! 🤞

Just wanted to add my voice to everyone else who's been through this recently! I completed my ID.me verification about 3 weeks ago and was in the exact same situation - staying with family who kept asking when the money would come through every single day. My timeline ended up being: ID.me completed on a Wednesday → payment status stayed "on hold" until the following Tuesday → changed to "pending" Tuesday afternoon → got paid Friday morning with all 6 weeks of back pay plus current week in one deposit. So about 9 calendar days total, but only 7 business days. The thing that saved my sanity with family pressure was showing them screenshots from threads like this one to prove that waiting 3-8 business days is completely normal. Once they saw it wasn't just me being slow to follow up, they stopped the daily questions. Since you just completed ID.me yesterday, I'd expect to see your payment status change from "on hold" to "pending" by early next week. That status change is your first sign it's actually moving through their system. If you don't see anything by Thursday, definitely call, but based on everyone's experiences here, you should be getting paid soon! The verification part is honestly the hardest step - now you're just waiting for their system to process it. Hang in there! 💪

I just went through this process about 6 weeks ago and wanted to share my timeline to help ease some anxiety. Filed my initial claim on a Monday, status showed "under review" for about 10 days, then switched to "approved" on a Thursday. Got my first payment the following Tuesday - so roughly 2 weeks total from filing to money in my account. The payment covered 3 weeks since I had been filing my weekly certifications the whole time (which you should definitely start doing immediately!). One thing that helped speed things up was making sure I had all my documents ready and responded to any DOL requests within 24 hours. Also, don't panic if your status doesn't change for several days - that seems to be normal. The system updates in batches rather than real-time.

I'm currently waiting on my unemployment claim too - filed about 10 days ago and still showing "under review" status. Reading through everyone's experiences here is really helpful! It sounds like the 2-3 week timeframe is pretty standard, though some cases take longer if there are complications. One thing I learned from calling the DOL office is that they're processing claims in the order they were received, so there's not much we can do to speed it up beyond making sure we respond quickly to any requests for additional info. The most important thing seems to be filing those weekly certifications even while waiting - I almost missed doing that the first week because I didn't realize it was required before approval. Hang in there everyone, sounds like the money does eventually come through!