Its total BS they make people wait months for benefits. Not everyone has savings to coast on. The whole system needs an overhaul.

I'm in a similar boat - filed in late August and still stuck in pending. The waiting is absolutely brutal when you're watching your savings disappear. I've been following this thread and it sounds like contacting your state assembly representative might be the most reliable path forward based on what multiple people have said worked for them. I'm definitely going to try that approach this week. Hang in there Giovanni - you're not alone in this nightmare of a system.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! Got let go from my office job three weeks ago for "not meeting expectations" but I suspect it was really because I raised concerns about overtime policies. Reading everyone's responses here is giving me hope. I already filed my claim through my.ny.gov like Anthony suggested, and I'm waiting to hear back from NYS Department of Labor. One thing I learned from my research is that they look at the "final incident" that led to your termination - if it wasn't something really egregious like theft or violence, you have a good shot. Aurora, definitely mention those scheduling complaints you made - it could show they retaliated against you for advocating for yourself, which isn't misconduct on your part.

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago and want to give you some encouragement! I was fired for "poor performance" after working at a warehouse for 18 months with no prior disciplinary action. Like you, I suspected retaliation because I had filed a complaint about safety violations the week before. I was so nervous about applying but decided to file anyway through my.ny.gov. NYS Department of Labor called me about 3 weeks later for the fact-finding interview, and the adjudicator was actually really thorough and fair. They asked detailed questions about my work history, the circumstances of my termination, and whether I had received any warnings. The fact that I had no write-ups and a clean record for over a year really helped my case. I was approved for benefits about 2 weeks after that call. My former employer did try to contest it, but NYS Department of Labor sided with me after reviewing all the evidence. The key is being completely honest during the process and providing any documentation you have. Those text messages about scheduling issues could definitely help show a pattern of retaliation. Don't let fear stop you from filing - you've earned these benefits through your work, and being terminated for "poor performance" without prior warnings is a pretty weak case for misconduct on their part.

been there done that - you basically have to start working again before you can get a new claim. focus on getting any job even if its not perfect because at least youll be earning towards your next potential claim

I went through this exact same situation last year. The 10x weekly benefit rule is correct - I had a $280 weekly benefit and needed $2,800 in earnings to qualify for a new claim. What really helped me was taking any temporary or part-time work I could find while still job searching for something permanent. Even gig work like delivery driving counted toward my earnings requirement. It took me about 4 months of part-time work to hit the threshold, but then I was able to file a new claim when I got laid off again. Don't give up on the job search, but also consider taking whatever work you can find to start building toward that earnings requirement.

This whole thread has been incredibly helpful! I've been having the exact same login issue for the past two days and was getting so frustrated thinking I was entering my info wrong. After reading everyone's experiences, especially Connor's update about the account being flagged for "additional security verification" with no notification, I'm pretty sure that's what's happening to me too. It's really disappointing that NY's unemployment system has such poor communication - they should at least tell you when your account is flagged instead of just giving a generic "information doesn't match" error. Going to try calling tomorrow morning, and if that doesn't work, I'll look into the Claimyr service. Thanks everyone for sharing your solutions!

Just joined this community and I'm so grateful to have found this thread! I've been dealing with the exact same login issue for the past 3 days - my SSN and PIN were working fine last week for my weekly certification, but now I keep getting that dreaded "information doesn't match" error. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a huge relief because I was honestly starting to think I was going crazy or somehow forgetting my own information! The fact that Connor's issue turned out to be an invisible account flag for "additional security verification" with absolutely no notification from the system is both incredibly helpful and completely maddening. It's unacceptable that NY's unemployment system can silently flag accounts and leave people thinking they're entering wrong information when the real issue is on their end. I'm definitely going to try calling at 8:05 AM tomorrow morning as Amina suggested and will specifically ask about any verification flags or holds on my account. If that doesn't work quickly, I might look into the Claimyr service that helped Connor get through to someone faster. Thank you so much to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions - this community has been more helpful than any official resources I've found! Will update if I discover anything new in my troubleshooting journey.

The whole backdating thing is such a pain... like why can't they just automatically backdate to when you lost your job? The system makes no sense sometimes

Just wanted to add that even if you get approved for backdating, you'll still need to certify for each of those weeks. Make sure you have your job search records ready for the backdated period too, since NYS Department of Labor requires proof you were actively looking for work during those weeks.