I'm in a similar boat - had my hearing two weeks ago and the anxiety is real! My employer tried to claim I was "insubordinate" but I had documented everything showing I was just questioning unsafe practices (which is literally my right). The judge seemed really interested in my documentation and kept asking my employer for specific examples they couldn't provide. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both helpful and terrifying - the range from 2 weeks to 8+ weeks is wild! I've been checking my mailbox obsessively and refreshing my online account multiple times a day. The worst part is not knowing if no news is good news or if something got lost in the system. For what it's worth, your case sounds strong with the performance reviews and evidence of following guidelines. Department restructuring layoffs disguised as "misconduct" seems to be a common tactic employers use. Hopefully we'll both get good news soon and can finally breathe again!

I'm also waiting on my appeal decision and this thread has been so helpful! Had my hearing 3 weeks ago and haven't heard anything yet. My situation is pretty similar - got laid off during a "restructuring" but they're claiming I was terminated for performance issues. Thing is, I have my last 6 months of performance reviews showing I was meeting all my targets right up until they eliminated my position. The judge seemed really skeptical when my employer couldn't explain why someone with good performance reviews would suddenly be fired for performance. They kept fumbling around trying to justify it. Based on everyone's timelines here, I'm hoping to hear something in the next week or two. It's wild how broken this system is though - the fact that people are waiting 2+ months for basic decisions while struggling financially is just cruel. But reading everyone's experiences gives me hope that most of these bogus "misconduct" claims get overturned. Fingers crossed for all of us still waiting! 🤞

I'm in a similar boat - my benefits are ending next month and I've been applying everywhere with no luck. One thing that's helped a little is signing up for gig work (Uber Eats, DoorDash) just to have some cash flow while job hunting. It's not much but at least covers groceries. Also, if you haven't already, make sure you're registered with your local workforce development center - they sometimes have job leads that aren't posted publicly and can help with resume reviews. The whole situation is incredibly stressful but we just have to keep pushing through. Sending solidarity your way! 💪

I'm in the same exact situation and it's absolutely terrifying. My benefits end in April too and I've been job hunting since November with barely any responses. What's really frustrating is that the 26-week limit assumes you can find work in that timeframe, but with the current market being so brutal (especially in finance), it feels completely unrealistic. I've been thinking about taking a part-time retail job just to have something coming in while I continue searching for something in my field. Has anyone had luck explaining employment gaps to potential employers when you've been unemployed this long? I'm worried about how this will look on my resume even when I do find something. The stress of potentially losing my apartment while still trying to present as a confident candidate in interviews is really taking a toll.

I'm dealing with the same thing! Just certified about an hour ago and saw that "processed next business day" message instead of the usual Monday timeline. I've been on NY unemployment for about 2 months now and this is my first time seeing this change - had me worried that something went wrong with my certification or that there was a system error. Reading through all these responses has been such a huge relief! I completely forgot that Monday is Presidents Day. It's actually pretty cool that the NYSDOL system automatically adjusts the processing timeline for federal holidays, even though it definitely causes some initial panic when you're not expecting it. Thanks to everyone who explained how this works - I'm going to save this thread and try to keep better track of upcoming holidays so I don't stress out next time this happens!

Just wanted to add my voice to everyone else's relief! I've been on NY unemployment for about 5 months and STILL got caught off guard by the Presidents Day delay. Certified around midnight last night and when I saw "processed next business day" my stomach dropped - thought for sure something was wrong with my claim! It's crazy how that one little message change can cause so much stress when you're depending on these payments. Really appreciate everyone explaining how the holiday processing works. The system is actually pretty smart to automatically adjust for banking holidays, but wow does it give you a heart attack the first time (or apparently even the fifth time) you see it! Going to start keeping better track of federal holidays so this doesn't surprise me again.

I just went through this exact process last month! You can definitely reopen your claim since it's only been 6 months. One tip that really helped me - when you log into my.ny.gov, if you don't see the "reopen claim" button right away, try clicking on "View Claim History" first, then the reopen option should appear. Also, have your recent pay stubs ready because they might ask for them to verify your employment dates. The whole process took about 10 days for me from reopening to getting my first payment. Good luck!

I'm in a similar situation - my job ended 2 weeks ago after 8 months of employment, and I had about 4 months left on my original claim when I started working. Reading through these responses has been super helpful! Just wanted to add that when I called the DOL yesterday (took 3 hours to get through), they confirmed that you should definitely reopen rather than file new if you're within your benefit year. The agent also mentioned that if you worked full-time for more than 10 weeks, they might need to do an earnings review to see if your weekly benefit amount changes, but the process is still faster than starting over. Planning to reopen mine tomorrow - fingers crossed it goes smoothly!

just a heads up the rules change sometimes so whatever you find online might be outdated... always verify with current NYS Department of Labor guidance

Also worth mentioning that certain non-profit organizations may have different UI tax requirements - some 501(c)(3) organizations can elect to reimburse the state directly for unemployment benefits paid to their former employees instead of paying regular UI taxes. And clergy members are typically exempt from UI coverage unless they specifically elect coverage. The NYS Department of Labor publication "Employer's Guide to Unemployment Insurance" has all these details, though like someone mentioned, make sure you're looking at the most current version since rules do change.