To clarify further - the key issue is that unemployment benefits are specifically for people who have lost their job involuntarily and are actively seeking new employment. When you're on FMLA, you still have a job to return to and you're not available to accept new work. Look into whether your employer offers any kind of paid family leave benefits, or check if you qualify for disability benefits instead.

I had a similar situation a few months ago when I had to take FMLA for my husband's cancer treatment. What I found out is that while you can't get regular unemployment, you might be able to get New York State Disability Benefits if your FMLA is for your own health condition (not a family member's). If it's for family care like yours, that unfortunately doesn't qualify for disability either. One thing that helped me was reaching out to local social services to see what other assistance programs might be available - things like SNAP, emergency rent assistance, or utility help. It's not ideal but it can help bridge the gap during those 8 weeks. Also check if your employer has an employee assistance program that might offer emergency financial help.

If you're still having trouble getting through to KeyBank, try calling early in the morning right when they open (around 7-8 AM) - that's when I had the best luck reaching someone. Also, if you haven't already, check if your first unemployment payment was actually issued yet by logging into your NY.gov account. Sometimes people think they're approved but the first payment hasn't been processed, which means the card wouldn't be sent out yet. The 7-10 business day countdown only starts after that first payment is issued, not after you get approved for benefits. Hope this helps!

For anyone still dealing with missing debit cards - I went through this nightmare last year and here's what finally worked: First, call KeyBank at 1-866-295-2955 early morning (7-8 AM) when wait times are shorter. Have your claim ID and Social Security number ready. If they say the card was mailed but you never got it, insist on an expedited replacement and ask for a tracking number. Second, immediately switch to direct deposit in your NY.gov account to avoid this mess in the future. Third, if you're getting nowhere with KeyBank after multiple calls, contact your state assembly member's office - they have a constituent services team that can cut through the bureaucracy when you're facing financial hardship. Don't let them pass you back and forth between agencies. Your benefits are YOUR money and you have every right to access them!

Wait, can they really just take your tax refund without warning?? I thought they had to go through some kind of legal process first. This is making me nervous because I got an overpayment notice too but it was only for like $400.

been there! you should also look into requesting a hardship waiver if the overpayment wasn't your fault. NYS Department of Labor has provisions for waiving overpayments in certain circumstances especially if it would cause financial hardship

This is absolutely infuriating but sadly very common. I had a similar issue with my hyphenated name (18 characters total) when I applied for unemployment two years ago. The system kept rejecting my application because my full legal name didn't fit in their database fields. What finally worked for me was getting through to a Tier 2 specialist who could manually override the system. Here's what I recommend: 1) Keep calling right at 8:00 AM when they open - you'll have the best chance of getting through. 2) When you do get someone, immediately ask to speak with a supervisor or Tier 2 agent who can handle "database format exceptions." 3) Have all your documents ready - SS card, driver's license, pay stubs, etc. 4) Be persistent but polite - explain that this is a known system limitation issue, not fraud. The agent who helped me said they see this problem frequently with people who have long names, hyphenated names, or names with special characters. Once the right person overrides it in the system, it should process normally. Don't give up - you ARE entitled to these benefits!

This is absolutely ridiculous! I'm dealing with something similar but not quite as extreme - my last name is 14 characters (Polish) and I've been getting the runaround for weeks. The fact that in 2025 we still have government systems that can't handle basic name diversity is shameful. I tried abbreviating my name like you did but then got the same mismatch errors. It's like they want us to fail. Reading all these comments has been both helpful and infuriating - helpful because now I know specific terms to use like "database format exception" and "name reconciliation," but infuriating because this is clearly a widespread systemic problem they refuse to fix. Going to try the 8am calling strategy tomorrow and push to get escalated to someone who actually has the authority to override these ancient system limitations. Thanks for sharing your story - it's validating to know this isn't just me going crazy!

my friend had this same thing happen and he just got a temporary job until his BYE ended then applied again. sometimes thats all u can do with this broken system

Great update Zainab! I'm so happy you got through and have a clear path forward. Your experience shows how important it is to be persistent with this system. For anyone else reading this thread - the key takeaways seem to be: 1) Once you hit 0 effective days, you're done until your BYE passes, 2) If you worked during your benefit year, you may qualify for a new claim, 3) The 599 program needs to be applied for early if you're in qualifying training, and 4) Services like Claimyr can help bypass the phone wait times. Hopefully your 599 application gets approved and you can bridge the gap until March!