Just wanted to share what worked for me after dealing with this nightmare for 3 days straight! I was getting the same OKTA verification loop where it would just hang forever. Turns out the issue was my VPN - once I disconnected it completely and restarted my browser, the verification went through immediately. Also make sure you're not using any ad blockers or privacy extensions that might be interfering with the authentication process. Hope this helps someone! 🙏

Had this exact same issue last week! What finally worked for me was logging out completely, clearing my browser cookies specifically for the NY unemployment site (not just cache), and then waiting about 30 minutes before trying again. Something about their session timing seems to get messed up. Also try accessing the site during off-peak hours like early morning - seems like their servers get overloaded during busy times. Don't give up, the system is buggy but it does eventually work! 💪

This is SO frustrating but unfortunately super common with NY unemployment. I went through the exact same thing last year when I moved from Syracuse to NYC. The address change basically puts your account under review for fraud prevention, but they don't tell you that! What finally worked for me was calling first thing at 8am sharp and selecting the "technical issues" option instead of the general line - seemed to have shorter wait times. Also make sure you have ALL your documents ready: lease agreement, utility bill with new address, photo ID, etc. In the meantime, definitely reach out to your local assembly member's office like others mentioned. They have direct contacts at DOL and can often get things moving faster. Don't give up - your backpay should come through once they verify everything. Hang in there! 💪

OMG yes!! This EXACT same thing happened to me when I moved from Westchester to Brooklyn in December. Address change triggered some kind of fraud review and my payments just... stopped. It's been 6 weeks now and I'm literally surviving on credit cards at this point. The most frustrating part is that I've been filing my weekly certifications like clockwork and they all show as "processed" but zero dollars hit my account. Called 20+ times and either get disconnected after hours on hold or told "your case is under review" with no timeline. I'm seeing a lot of people mention claimyr.com in this thread - has anyone actually used it successfully for address change issues specifically? I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point because my landlord is NOT having it with late rent payments 😭 Also going to try contacting my assembly member tomorrow based on the suggestions here. This system is absolutely broken and it's wild that we have to jump through all these hoops just to get benefits we're entitled to. Thanks for posting this @Kennedy Morrison - at least I know I'm not alone in this nightmare!

Just wanted to share my experience since I went through something similar last year. I was receiving $342/week and kept hoping for an increase when I heard about the annual adjustment. What I learned is that even though NY does increase the maximum benefit amount each October, it doesn't help those of us already on claims. The frustrating part is that by the time you potentially refile (if you exhaust benefits), your new "base period" is still using wage data that's over a year old. I ended up finding work before my benefits ran out, but it really highlighted how the system doesn't account for current economic realities. My advice would be to focus your energy on job searching rather than waiting for benefit increases that won't come during your current claim period.

I'm going through the same frustration right now! Been on unemployment since October and my $310 weekly benefit feels like it's worth less and less each month with inflation. What really gets me is that I read other states like California and Washington have automatic cost-of-living adjustments for existing claims, but New York doesn't. It seems like such an obvious policy gap - why should someone who filed in January get a different rate than someone who files in December if they're dealing with the same economic conditions? I understand the base period calculation logic, but there should be some mechanism to help long-term claimants keep up with rising costs. Has anyone looked into whether there's any advocacy or legislative efforts to change this policy in NY?

This is definitely a system error - you should only have one waiting week per benefit year! I had something similar happen to me last year. The key is to keep calling until you get someone who actually knows what they're doing. Document everything like Josef said and don't let them tell you it's normal because it's not. The system has been extra glitchy since they updated it. Hope you get it sorted out quickly!

I work at a benefits advocacy nonprofit and can confirm this is 100% a system error. NY law is clear - only ONE waiting week per benefit year, period. What's happening is the system isn't properly recognizing your previous benefit year when you restart claiming after a break. Here's my advice: when you call (definitely use that claimyr service if you can afford it), ask to speak specifically to a "claims examiner" not just a regular agent. Tell them you need a "waiting week waiver review" for duplicate waiting weeks in the same benefit year. Use those exact words - it'll get you to the right department faster. Also, check if your benefit year actually expired between your claims. If you filed in Sept 2022 and are claiming again in summer 2023, you might technically be in a new benefit year which WOULD require a new waiting week. But based on your timeline it sounds like you're still in the same benefit year so this is definitely their mistake. Keep us updated on how it goes! This has been happening to way too many people lately 😤

I just remembered something that might help you! If you're really concerned about the timing, you can sign up for text alerts about your claim status. Go to your NY.gov account settings and there should be an option for notifications. That way you'll get a text when your payment is processed and don't have to keep checking the website.

Hey! I'm new here but went through the exact same thing a couple months ago. My waiting week was processed mid-December and I was so stressed about the timing too. In my case, I filed on Sunday and got the payment on Thursday morning - so 4 business days total. The key thing is to make sure you keep filing your weekly certifications on time even if you don't see the money yet. I made the mistake of panicking and calling repeatedly (waste of time as others mentioned), but the payment did come through. Also double-check that your bank doesn't hold deposits - some smaller banks have longer processing times for government payments. Good luck with your rent!