my brother works in the ny unemployment office (not IT but adjacent) and he says they're well aware of the work search form issues. internal memo went out months ago but fixing it is "not priority" because it doesn't affect their metrics 🙄 classic government efficiency at work

Just went through this nightmare myself last month! The form glitch cost me 3 weeks of benefits because they said I wasn't meeting work search requirements. What finally worked for me was doing exactly what @Natasha Kuznetsova suggested - fill everything EXCEPT company name/website, save, then go back and edit to add those fields. Also learned the hard way to always log your activities in multiple places. I keep a Google Sheet backup now with timestamps and screenshots. The system is clearly broken but at least there are workarounds. Thanks everyone for sharing your solutions - this thread should be pinned for other people dealing with this mess!

did u ever get any letters in the mail from them? sometimes they send important stuff thru regular mail but not online for some weird reason

Final update: The money came through! All 11 weeks of backpay hit my account this morning. Such a massive relief. For anyone else stuck in pending status for months, don't give up. Finding a way to actually speak with a real person was the key for me. Thanks again to everyone for your advice and support!

Congrats on getting it resolved! Your experience is exactly why I always tell people not to just wait for the online document review - calling is so much faster even though it's a pain to get through. For anyone else reading this thread, Ruby's case is a perfect example of how the system is supposed to work. When you have recent employment that wasn't included in your standard base period, they should automatically check your alternate base period eligibility. If they don't, don't panic - it's fixable, you just need to get a human on the phone to manually trigger the review. The backpay makes it worth the hassle of calling!

I'm so glad you got this resolved Ruby! As someone new to this community, reading through your entire experience was incredibly helpful. I'm actually dealing with the exact same situation right now - they denied my claim even though I worked full-time January through March 2025. Your post made me realize I shouldn't just sit around waiting for weeks for them to review my documents. I'm definitely going to try calling tomorrow and specifically ask about my Alternate Base Period review. It's so frustrating that their system doesn't automatically catch this, but at least now I know there's a real solution. Thanks for sharing your whole journey - it gives me hope that this will actually get fixed!

I've been on unemployment for about 6 months and went through the work search audit process recently. One thing that really helped me was creating a dedicated email folder just for job applications so all my confirmation emails are in one place. Also, for networking events and job fairs, I started taking a quick selfie at the event entrance with the signage visible - sounds silly but it's timestamped proof you were there. The auditor appreciated that level of detail. Don't overthink it too much though - they're mainly looking to see you're making real efforts, not trying to catch you in some technicality. Just stay consistent with whatever system you choose!

As someone who just started collecting unemployment benefits last month, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I was doing the bare minimum with my work search documentation and now I realize I need to step up my game. I've been mostly just applying through job boards without keeping proper records - definitely going to implement that Google Doc system and start taking screenshots of confirmation pages. One question though - does anyone know if using the NYS Department of Labor's job search website (jobs.labor.ny.gov) counts the same as using Indeed or LinkedIn? I want to make sure I'm diversifying my search methods properly. Also wondering if anyone has experience with whether informational interviews count toward the 3 weekly activities? Thanks everyone for sharing your real experiences - this is way more useful than trying to decipher the official guidelines!

Please update us when you start getting paid! I'm curious how long it'll take for your backpay to come through after such a long delay. My claim was nowhere near as old as yours.

Congratulations on finally getting some movement on your claim! Two years is absolutely insane - I can't imagine the stress you've been through. I had a similar situation last year (though only 6 months, not 2 years!) and that email is definitely good news. A few things to watch out for based on my experience: - Double-check that all your certified weeks show up in the payment history once they start processing - Save screenshots of everything as proof - If any weeks seem missing, contact them immediately because it's easier to fix while the backpay is actively being processed The waiting is almost over! Really hoping you get every penny you're owed after this nightmare delay.