Just make sure you have all your pay stubs from the temp work when you file. NYS Department of Labor will verify your wages with the staffing agency anyway, but having documentation helps speed things up.

I went through this exact situation about 8 months ago with a temp job that lasted 4 months. Filed my claim online through the NYS DOL website and it was pretty straightforward. The key thing they ask is why your employment ended - just be honest that it was a temporary assignment that concluded due to lack of available work. Also, keep records of any communication with your staffing agency about looking for new placements since that shows you're actively seeking work. The whole process took about 3 weeks from filing to getting my first payment, but that included the mandatory waiting week. Don't let the temporary nature of the job discourage you from applying - you earned those benefits!

Glad you got it sorted out! This exact same thing happened to me in January - the system glitch reset my withholding settings too. For anyone else dealing with this, I'd recommend checking your online account settings first before calling. Sometimes you can catch these changes right after they happen and fix them yourself. Also, keep screenshots of your current settings as proof in case it happens again. The NY DOL system seems to have ongoing issues with maintaining user preferences after updates.

This is such a widespread issue! I'm a newcomer here but I've been dealing with NY unemployment for a few months now. After reading through all these responses, it sounds like the February 2025 system update really messed things up for a lot of people. I'm going to check my own account settings right now to make sure my preferences are still correct. It's ridiculous that they didn't notify people about this glitch - how are we supposed to know to check for changes we didn't make? Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions, especially the tip about taking screenshots of your settings. That's going to be my new routine after every payment!

Same boat here - been pending for 3 weeks now with zero communication from them. The whole system feels broken. I've been calling every day at 8am sharp when they open but still can't get through. Starting to think about trying that Claimyr thing people mentioned even though paying to make a phone call feels wrong. This is so stressful when you're already dealing with being unemployed 😞

I'm going through the exact same thing! Filed 3 weeks ago and still stuck in pending with no explanation. It's so frustrating because I'm running out of savings and need these payments to keep up with rent. I've tried calling dozens of times but can never get through. Has anyone had success with emailing them directly, or is calling really the only way? Also seeing mixed opinions about Claimyr - has anyone here actually used it successfully? At this point I'm willing to try anything that might work.

I was in a similar situation about a year ago - toxic manager, constantly changing schedules, and feeling like I was being set up to fail. What helped me was keeping a detailed log of every incident with dates and times. I also started responding to my manager's schedule change texts with something like "Just confirming you're changing my schedule from X to Y with less than 24 hours notice" to create a paper trail. When I finally did quit and applied for UI, having that documentation made all the difference. The key is showing a pattern of unreasonable behavior from your employer that would make any reasonable person quit. Don't just quit impulsively - build your case first if you can.

This is really helpful advice from everyone. I'm dealing with something similar - my supervisor has been making the workplace unbearable with constant criticism and unrealistic expectations. From what I'm reading here, it sounds like the key is documentation and showing you tried to resolve things first. @Nia Wilson, your approach of creating a paper trail through confirming texts is brilliant. I'm going to start doing that too. Has anyone had experience with filing a complaint with HR before quitting? I'm wondering if that would help strengthen a case for "good cause" or if it might just make things worse at work.

my cousin got laid off last month and honestly she seems happier job hunting than she was at her toxic workplace. maybe thats what they mean about some unemployment being ok?

This is fascinating - I never realized there was a distinction between "full employment" and 0% unemployment. @Laura Lopez thanks for explaining that full employment just means people can find work in a reasonable time frame. It makes me wonder though - how does NYS Department of Labor measure whether we're at that "healthy" unemployment level? Do they have specific metrics they track beyond just the basic unemployment rate? And for those of us dealing with claim processing delays, is there any way to know if our situation is factored into these economic calculations, or are we just statistics in a different category?