Just apply and see what happens. Worst case they say no and you appeal if you disagree. The whole system is messed up anyway but you might get lucky.

I went through something similar last year when I got let go for missing too many days due to childcare issues. The NYS Department of Labor does look at the specific circumstances - having documentation really helps your case. For your car breakdowns, if you have repair receipts or tow truck records, keep those. For the family emergency, any hospital records or other documentation can support your claim. When you file online, there's a section where you can upload documents or explain the circumstances. Don't let your former employer's characterization discourage you from applying - you have the right to present your side of the story.

Has anyone actually gotten through to a human being at ny unemployment recently? I feel like I'm trying to call into a radio contest or something... just constant busy signals and disconnects.

Had this EXACT same situation happen to me in September! The website showing remaining days after your benefit year ends is basically a cruel joke. I made the mistake of continuing to certify for 2 weeks after my BYE date thinking those 52 remaining days meant something. Big mistake - ended up triggering a review that delayed my new claim by an extra month. Here's what I learned the hard way: File your new claim IMMEDIATELY and stop certifying on the old one. The remaining days display is just a system glitch that NY refuses to fix. Once your benefit year ends on that date, it's done regardless of what the counter says. I eventually got it sorted out but lost about 6 weeks of payments due to the delays. Don't make my mistake - get that new claim filed today if you can!

Look I worked for unemployment before (not anymore thank god lol). Here's the deal - regular UI benefits last 26 weeks from your initial claim date. Extensions might be available depending on the state's unemployment rate. The website won't show your end date clearly, but you can calculate it yourself: find your initial claim date and add 26 weeks. The system sends notice when you're getting close to exhausting benefits but sometimes these get lost. Best way is definitely to call and confirm. Use claimyr.com if you don't want to waste time on hold - we actually recommended it to people when I worked there because the phone lines are so backed up. Keep all your documents and screenshots. The system is old and glitchy, and sometimes info disappears.

Another tip - if you log into your account and go to "View and Maintain Account Information" then click on "Monetary and Issue Summary" it sometimes shows your benefit year dates there. Not always reliable but worth checking. Also your first payment voucher usually has your claim effective date on it, so you can count 26 weeks from there. The whole system is a mess but those are the few places that might actually show useful info without having to call.

UPDATE: After 3 days of trying, I FINALLY got through to an agent this morning! Called right at 8:00am and stayed on the line through the repeating message like @HelpfulNYer suggested. After about 12 minutes it suddenly switched to hold music and I got an agent about 20 minutes later. The issue was exactly what was mentioned earlier - a "verification flag" on my account triggered by my recent job change. The agent removed it while I was on the phone and I was able to certify for all my missed weeks immediately after. They said benefits should be deposited within 3 business days including all back weeks. Thanks everyone for your help with this!

This is exactly what I'm going through right now! Been stuck in this same loop for over a week - can't certify online, can't reach anyone by phone. It's so frustrating when you're depending on these benefits and the system just breaks down like this. I'm going to try the 8am calling strategy tomorrow and staying on the line longer like people suggested. Really glad to see Diego got his resolved - gives me hope that persistence will eventually pay off. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips!

I had this problem a couple weeks ago. What worked for me was using a different web browser (I switched from Chrome to Firefox) and making sure I wasn't using any VPN or ad blockers. Sometimes those security features can mess with government websites. Also I found that the mobile version of the site worked when the desktop version was having problems.

Just wanted to add that I experienced the same issue this morning around 9am. What finally worked for me was switching to incognito/private browsing mode and trying the mobile version of the site like others mentioned. I think the combination of clearing all stored data and using the mobile interface helped bypass whatever was causing the timeout errors. Got through on my third attempt that way. Hope this helps anyone still struggling!