Wait I thought there was still some kind of extended benefits available? My cousin in another state said she got extra weeks beyond the normal 26. Is that not a thing in NY anymore?

Honestly the whole thing was such a mess anyway. I know people who got way more money sitting at home than they ever made working. At least now its back to normal and people have to actually look for jobs again.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now - filed my claim 2.5 weeks ago and still no payments despite certifying weekly. My account also shows "pending eligibility review" status. It's really stressful when you're depending on these benefits to cover basic expenses. From reading everyone's experiences here, it sounds like this waiting period is unfortunately the norm rather than the exception. I've been documenting everything and keeping copies of all my certifications just in case. Has anyone found that contacting their local career center helps speed things up at all?

I'm dealing with this exact same situation - filed my claim about 10 days ago and my account also shows "pending eligibility review" with no payments yet. It's honestly a relief to see I'm not alone in this, though I wish none of us had to go through it. The stress of waiting for benefits when you need them to pay bills is really overwhelming. I've been calling that automated line Connor mentioned (1-888-209-8124) every few days just to confirm my certifications are going through properly. From what everyone's sharing here, it sounds like we just have to be patient even though it's really hard when rent is due. Definitely going to keep filing those weekly claims no matter what - thanks for that advice Natasha! Hoping we all see our payments soon.

just wanted to say thanks for asking this question because I was wondering the same thing! glad to see others got the retroactive payments

Just to add some reassurance - I went through this exact same process with NYS Department of Labor earlier this year. Filed in March, took almost 3 weeks to get approved due to identity verification issues, but I was able to claim all the way back to my original filing date. The online system makes it pretty straightforward once you're approved - you just certify for each week going back to when you first filed. Make sure you keep records of your job search activities for those weeks though, in case they ask for documentation later. The retroactive payments all came through with my regular weekly payments, so don't worry about missing out on that money!

I went through this exact situation about 8 months ago. You absolutely cannot collect both at the same time in New York - it's considered fraud because you're certifying contradictory things. When I applied for disability, I had to immediately stop certifying for unemployment benefits. The tricky part is timing - there's usually a gap between when you stop UI and when disability kicks in (if approved). My advice: 1) Don't apply for disability until you're ready to stop unemployment completely, 2) Keep documenting everything with your doctor in case disability gets denied and you need to reapply for unemployment later, 3) Consider if the disability amount would be higher than your unemployment before making the switch. I ended up having a 6-week gap with no income, so make sure you have some savings if possible. The NYS Department of Labor was actually pretty understanding when I explained the situation to them.

I just went through this process recently and wanted to share what I learned. You definitely cannot collect both simultaneously - it's one or the other. The key thing NYS Department of Labor looks at is that "able and available for work" certification you do every week. If you're applying for disability, you're essentially saying you can't work, which directly contradicts that certification. Here's what I'd recommend: before making any moves, calculate which benefit would give you more money and for how long. Sometimes unemployment might be better short-term while you look for work you can do with limitations, while disability might be better if your condition is expected to last a long time. Also, if you do switch to disability, make sure you understand whether it's temporary or permanent - if it's temporary, you might be able to go back to unemployment later. The most important thing is to be completely transparent with both agencies about your situation to avoid any fraud issues.

this whole system is so confusing!! why can't they just make it simple to understand when you can reapply and when you can't... spent 2 hours on the website trying to figure this out yesterday and still wasn't sure

I was in a similar situation earlier this year! Yes, you can absolutely reapply once your benefit year expires. The key thing is that you'll need to have earned sufficient wages during your new base period (which will be different quarters than your original claim). Since you've been doing temp work, make sure to gather all your pay stubs and W-2s from those jobs - even the short-term ones count toward your wage requirements. The online application walks you through it step by step, and it's actually pretty straightforward once you get started. Good luck!