December is always slow bc of holidays. my friend who works at unemployment says they're super backed up this time of year

Have you tried checking if there are any missing documents or verification steps? Sometimes they'll put your claim on hold without sending proper notifications. Log into your account and look for any red flags or action items that might be blocking approval. Also, if you're really desperate, some people have had luck contacting their local assembly member's office - they can sometimes help push things along with the DOL.

anybody else notice how the website is always "under maintenance" when u need it most? 🤡

Hey everyone! New to this community but dealing with the same issue. Applied back in March and got that "claim can be paid" text about 10 days ago. Still waiting on my first payment and honestly getting pretty anxious about it. Reading through all your experiences is really helpful - sounds like 3-4 weeks is pretty normal after getting that text? Going to keep certifying weekly like you all suggested and maybe try that claimyr service if nothing happens by next week. Thanks for sharing your stories, makes me feel less alone in this process! 🤞

bruh same boat.... 8 weeks of pending 🤡

Just went through this same nightmare! What finally worked for me was filing a complaint with the NY Department of Labor's ombudsman office. You can do it online and they actually respond within 48 hours. Also try calling the Albany office directly instead of the main number - sometimes they're less busy. Don't lose hope, took me 7 weeks but I eventually got all my back pay!

Just to add my 2 cents - I got my first payment exactly 5 business days after my first weekly certification was processed. Every week after that it was like clockwork, same day each week. Hang in there!

I'm going through something similar right now - applied 10 days ago and still waiting for my first payment even though my claim shows approved. From what I've read on the NYS DOL website, first payments can take anywhere from 1-2 weeks after your initial certification is processed, especially if there's any backlog in their system. Have you tried calling the customer service line? I know it's hard to get through but sometimes they can give you a more specific timeline for when to expect your payment.

Another thing to watch out for - make sure you're certifying for benefits on the right days. In NY you can usually certify starting Sunday for the previous week, and you have until the following Saturday to do it. If you miss your certification window, you could delay your payments even more. I learned this the hard way when I forgot to certify one week and had to wait an extra week to get back on track. Set a reminder on your phone!

Just went through this myself a few months ago. The waiting period is real - it's basically NYS making you wait one full week before any payments start. But here's what helped me: download the NY.gov mobile app if you haven't already. It makes the weekly certifications way easier and you can check your payment status faster than the website. Also, if your monetary determination is complete, that's actually a good sign - means they've calculated your benefit amount. You should be able to see your weekly benefit amount in your account even if no payment date is showing yet. Hang in there, the first payment is always the most stressful to wait for!