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Look I worked for unemployment before (not anymore thank god lol). Here's the deal - regular UI benefits last 26 weeks from your initial claim date. Extensions might be available depending on the state's unemployment rate. The website won't show your end date clearly, but you can calculate it yourself: find your initial claim date and add 26 weeks. The system sends notice when you're getting close to exhausting benefits but sometimes these get lost. Best way is definitely to call and confirm. Use claimyr.com if you don't want to waste time on hold - we actually recommended it to people when I worked there because the phone lines are so backed up. Keep all your documents and screenshots. The system is old and glitchy, and sometimes info disappears.
Another tip - if you log into your account and go to "View and Maintain Account Information" then click on "Monetary and Issue Summary" it sometimes shows your benefit year dates there. Not always reliable but worth checking. Also your first payment voucher usually has your claim effective date on it, so you can count 26 weeks from there. The whole system is a mess but those are the few places that might actually show useful info without having to call.
This is exactly what I'm going through right now! Been stuck in this same loop for over a week - can't certify online, can't reach anyone by phone. It's so frustrating when you're depending on these benefits and the system just breaks down like this. I'm going to try the 8am calling strategy tomorrow and staying on the line longer like people suggested. Really glad to see Diego got his resolved - gives me hope that persistence will eventually pay off. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips!
Same boat here! I've been dealing with this certification block for about 10 days now and it's been absolutely maddening. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been super helpful though - I had no idea about the verification flags or the new call system changes. Definitely going to try the 8am sharp strategy and stick it out through those repeating messages. It's reassuring to know that once you get through, they can usually fix it right away and you get all your back weeks. Thanks for keeping this thread updated with real solutions!
Just want to add another tip that worked for me - if you have multiple phones available (like a cell and landline, or ask family members to help), you can try calling from different numbers simultaneously at 8am. I did this last week and got through on my second phone after about 15 minutes while my first phone was still getting busy signals. Once you're in the queue on one line, you can hang up the others. Also, make sure you have your Social Security number, claim confirmation number, and recent work history ready before you call - they'll ask for all of this to verify your identity and remove the flag. The whole process took about 5 minutes once I actually got an agent on the line.
That's a really smart strategy with using multiple phones! I never thought of that. I've just been using my cell phone and getting frustrated when I can't get through. Do you know if there's a limit to how many times you can call from the same number? I'm wondering if calling too frequently from one number might actually hurt your chances of getting through. Also, did they give you any explanation for why these verification flags get triggered so often? It seems like a lot of people are dealing with this same issue lately.
One more important tip: Take screenshots of your claim information before your BYE date, including your payment history and current benefit rate. Sometimes during the transition to a new benefit year, accessing your old claim information becomes more difficult. Having those records could be important if there are any discrepancies with your new claim.
Just went through this exact situation last month! Yes, definitely certify on Sunday for your final week - you're entitled to that payment. The key is timing: certify first thing Sunday morning, then file your new claim the same day. Don't wait! I made the mistake of waiting a few days to file my new claim and it just delayed everything. Also heads up - when you file your new claim, make sure you have all your employer information handy for the past 18 months, including exact dates and wages. The system can be picky about incomplete info. You've got this!
Thanks for sharing your experience! That's really helpful to know about having all the employer info ready. Quick question - when you filed your new claim the same day, did you run into any issues with the system thinking you were trying to double-claim or anything like that? I'm just worried about triggering some kind of flag in their system by doing both things on the same day.
@Ian Armstrong No issues at all with the system flagging anything! The NY DOL system is actually set up to handle this transition. When you certify for your final week, you re'claiming benefits under your current benefit year. When you file the new claim later that same day, you re'starting a completely separate benefit year. The system treats them as two distinct actions. I was worried about the same thing but it went smoothly. Just make sure you complete the weekly certification first before starting the new application - that way there s'no confusion about which benefit year you re'claiming under.
Just wanted to add that I experienced the same issue this morning around 9am. What finally worked for me was switching to incognito/private browsing mode and trying the mobile version of the site like others mentioned. I think the combination of clearing all stored data and using the mobile interface helped bypass whatever was causing the timeout errors. Got through on my third attempt that way. Hope this helps anyone still struggling!
Thanks for sharing that tip about incognito mode! I'm new to dealing with NY unemployment and didn't realize the website had so many issues. I've been stressing out all day thinking I was doing something wrong. Going to try the mobile site in private browsing mode now - hopefully that works for me too!
I'm dealing with the exact same thing right now! Been trying since 10am and keep getting kicked out after entering my credentials. This is my first time having to deal with NY unemployment and I had no idea the system was this unreliable. I'm really worried about missing the deadline - does anyone know what happens if you can't certify by midnight tomorrow due to technical issues on their end? Will they give extensions or do you just lose that week's benefits? This is causing me so much anxiety since I really need these payments to come through on schedule.
Don't worry too much about missing the deadline! From what I've learned from others here, NYSDOL typically doesn't penalize people for technical issues on their end. If you absolutely can't get through by tomorrow midnight, document your attempts (maybe take screenshots of error messages) and call their customer service line as soon as possible to explain the situation. They usually allow late certifications when it's due to system problems. Also, definitely try the mobile site in incognito mode like @Ryder Everingham suggested - that seems to be working for people today. You ve'got this!
Diego Mendoza
Has anyone actually gotten through to a human being at ny unemployment recently? I feel like I'm trying to call into a radio contest or something... just constant busy signals and disconnects.
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Anastasia Popova
•I used claimyr.com after trying for 3 days on my own. Got connected to someone in about 90 minutes. Worth every penny since it got my claim fixed.
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Sean Flanagan
•try calling at exactly 8:00:00 am. i mean literally time it to the second. thats how i got through last week.
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Marilyn Dixon
Had this EXACT same situation happen to me in September! The website showing remaining days after your benefit year ends is basically a cruel joke. I made the mistake of continuing to certify for 2 weeks after my BYE date thinking those 52 remaining days meant something. Big mistake - ended up triggering a review that delayed my new claim by an extra month. Here's what I learned the hard way: File your new claim IMMEDIATELY and stop certifying on the old one. The remaining days display is just a system glitch that NY refuses to fix. Once your benefit year ends on that date, it's done regardless of what the counter says. I eventually got it sorted out but lost about 6 weeks of payments due to the delays. Don't make my mistake - get that new claim filed today if you can!
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