This is absolutely infuriating! I'm dealing with the exact same thing - payments randomly stopped 10 days ago with just "pending" status and ZERO communication from them. I've literally called 87 times (yes, I'm keeping count because I'm going insane) and can't get through to a single human being. It's like they want us to just give up and disappear. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it's clear this is happening to tons of people and it's probably those random "verification" flags they're throwing around because of fraud concerns. The fact that they can just freeze our lifeline without even sending an email is absolutely criminal. I'm definitely going to try the assembly member route first thing Monday morning, and if that doesn't work fast enough I might have to bite the bullet and try that Claimyr service everyone's mentioning. Has anyone had luck with the Twitter approach @NYSLabor? At this point I'm willing to try literally anything. We shouldn't have to jump through these insane hoops just to find out why our own benefits got cut off!

I'm so sorry you're going through this - the system is absolutely broken! I'm in a similar boat where my payments just vanished with no explanation about 2 weeks ago. After reading through everyone's experiences here, it's clear this is happening to SO many people because of these random verification flags they're throwing around. Here's what I've learned from this thread that seems most promising: 1. Contact your assembly member's office ASAP - multiple people say they have direct lines to DOL and can get faster responses 2. Try the Twitter approach @NYSLabor - seems hit or miss but worth a shot 3. If you're desperate and can afford it, several people have had success with Claimyr.com for actually getting through to a human The fact that we're all dealing with identical situations (payments stopped, "pending" status, zero communication) makes it obvious this is systematic rather than individual account issues. Don't give up - you have every right to those benefits and answers about what happened! Keep us posted on what works for you because we're all fighting the same battle here.

UPDATE: I wanted to thank everyone for their help! I finally found what I needed. For anyone else looking for their award letter/benefit statement, check the payment history section. There's a small link called "View Benefit Details" that's easy to miss. From there you can download a PDF showing your weekly benefit amount. My landlord accepted this as proof of income!

This thread is so helpful! I'm bookmarking it for future reference. The NY unemployment system really needs to make these documents easier to find - it shouldn't take a whole community discussion just to locate a basic award letter. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions!

Update: I finally got through!!! Used the Claimyr service that someone suggested above and spoke with a representative. Turns out there was a glitch in their system that applied my tax withholding AND student loan garnishment retroactively, so they took out 8 weeks worth of deductions all at once! The rep submitted a correction request and said my next payment should be back to normal, and they'll refund the extra amount they took out within 2-3 weeks. Thank you all for your help and suggestions!

So glad you got through and figured it out! That system glitch sounds like a nightmare - taking 8 weeks of deductions all at once is brutal. I've been dealing with similar issues trying to reach DOL for my own claim problems. Quick question - about how long did the Claimyr service take to get you connected? And did they charge upfront or after they got you through? Trying to decide if it's worth it for my situation too.

wait so if you work for the federal government you can still get state unemployment? that seems weird to me, shouldn't there be like federal unemployment or something?

I'm actually in a similar situation - work for a federal agency in Syracuse and we've been getting briefings about potential workforce reductions. From what I understand, you'll want to make sure you have your most recent pay statements and any documentation about your job classification. One thing I learned from talking to HR is that federal employees sometimes qualify for higher weekly benefit amounts because our wages are often above the state average. Also, if you do get laid off, file your claim immediately - don't wait. NYS Department of Labor processes federal employee claims regularly, but during mass layoffs there can be a backlog. I've been preparing by gathering all my employment documents just in case.

I'm dealing with this exact same confusion right now! When I first applied, I definitely entered my banking info, but then when I went to certify for my first week, there was that "register for direct deposit" button staring at me and I had no idea if I was supposed to click it or not. I ended up doing it because I was paranoid about missing out on my benefits, but then immediately started second-guessing myself. It's so frustrating that the system doesn't explain whether this is required or just optional when you've already provided the info. Reading all these responses is making me feel way better though - sounds like this is just their confusing way of doing extra verification. Fingers crossed we all get our payments without any issues! 🤞

Don't worry, you did the right thing! I went through this exact same confusion about 6 weeks ago. The "register for direct deposit" option shows up even after you've already entered your banking info during the initial application - it's basically their way of having you verify everything through their updated security system. The IDme verification is a newer requirement they added to prevent fraud, so that's completely separate from your original direct deposit setup. Since you used the same bank account details both times, you're totally fine! The system will just confirm that everything matches up. I was stressed about it too, but my payments started coming through about 8-10 days after I did the re-verification. The NY unemployment system definitely could be way clearer about what's happening at each step, but you handled it perfectly. Just keep an eye on your account over the next week or so and you should see everything processing normally! 💪