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!

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!

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!

UPDATE: I went to the Career Center and they couldn't help directly but gave me a special number to call. Still couldn't get through, so I used Claimyr and got a callback within an hour. The agent confirmed my account was flagged for verification and fixed it right away. She also put a note that I should receive all my backpay within 3-5 business days. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions - especially about Claimyr and checking the Message Center. I would have never thought to look there for important notices!

This thread is incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with the exact same issue - been stuck in "pending transfer" status for 3 weeks now. Reading through all these experiences, it's clear this is a widespread problem with their new verification system. I'm going to try the Claimyr callback service tomorrow since calling directly has been impossible. It's reassuring to see that multiple people here got their issues resolved once they actually spoke to an agent. Thanks for sharing your experiences and solutions - this community support makes such a difference when dealing with these frustrating government systems!

One more thing to add - sign up for ID monitoring through your credit card company or bank if they offer it free. Also, if you get any unexpected mail from NYS Department of Labor about claims you didn't file, report it immediately. I've seen cases where fraudsters test the system with small amounts first before going for bigger thefts. And definitely keep your personal info like SSN off social media - scammers piece together details from multiple sources.

Great question! I work in cybersecurity and deal with this stuff daily. A few additional tips: Use a unique, strong password that you don't use anywhere else (consider a password manager), and regularly review your account's "recent activity" or login history if NYS DOL provides that feature. Also, be suspicious of any unexpected text messages or calls asking you to verify account info - legitimate agencies won't ask for passwords or PINs over the phone. If you do suspect fraud, document everything (screenshots, dates, times) before reporting it. The more evidence you have upfront, the faster the resolution process typically goes.