Congratulations on getting through! That's such a relief. I'm in a similar situation - filed 5 weeks ago and still pending. I've been hesitant about using third-party services but your success story is really encouraging. Did they explain exactly what the identity verification issue was? I'm wondering if I might have the same problem since I uploaded all my documents but never heard anything back about whether they were accepted or not.

Wow, this thread is so helpful! I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation - filed 4 weeks ago and stuck in pending status. @c0a759d0a949 thanks for explaining the identity verification issue, that might be what's happening to me too since I also moved recently. I'm going to try the Claimyr service tomorrow morning. It's crazy that NYSDOL doesn't notify you when there's a problem with your documents - how are people supposed to know what's wrong? Really glad you got it sorted out @6977afa77e2e, gives me hope that mine will get resolved soon too!

The NYS Department of Labor system is so unreliable! They process millions of claims but can't keep payment schedules consistent. I've had payments delayed, early, and sometimes split into weird amounts. There's probably some backend issue they're not telling anyone about.

Hey Camila, I totally understand your stress - rent deadlines don't wait for payment delays! If your payment status shows "payment processing" that's actually a good sign - it means your claim went through without issues and the payment is just working its way through the system. Sometimes there are delays on the banking side too, especially if there's a holiday or weekend involved. You might want to call your bank to see if there's a pending ACH deposit that just hasn't posted yet. In the meantime, if you're really in a bind with rent, consider reaching out to your landlord to explain the situation - most understand that government payments can be unpredictable.

Been through this twice now. Keep filing, report income accurately, and save copies of everything. When the contract ends, your benefits should resume at the full amount automatically. Just make sure you're still meeting job search requirements during the contract if NYS Department of Labor requires it.

I was in almost the exact same situation last year with a 4-week consulting gig. The advice here is spot on - definitely keep filing your weekly claims and report every dollar you earn. What helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track my contract earnings each week so I could report accurately. The partial benefit calculation worked in my favor since the contract paid less than my full weekly benefit amount. One thing to note: make sure you understand if your contract work affects your job search requirements. In my case, I still had to log job search activities even while working the contract. The whole process was much smoother than I expected once I got into the routine of accurate reporting.

If you do decide to file after quitting, be prepared for potential delays getting through to NYS Department of Labor if you need to speak with someone about your case. I spent weeks trying to call about my adjudication status. Eventually found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent - they have a video demo showing how it works (https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI). Saved me hours of calling and getting disconnected.

The unemployment system is so messed up, they make it impossible to get benefits even when you legitimately need them. I'd say just quit and file anyway - worst case they deny you and you're in the same position you'd be in if you didn't try at all.

I went through this same situation a few months ago - 6 weeks in adjudication hell. What helped me was documenting everything: screenshots of my claim status, dates I called, any emails or messages. When I finally got through to someone, having all that info ready made the conversation much more productive. Also try calling right at 8am when they open - that's when I had the most luck getting through. The adjudication process is frustrating but most claims do eventually get approved if you were legitimately unemployed through no fault of your own.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now - 4 weeks in adjudication and it's incredibly stressful not knowing what's happening. From what I've researched, the most common reasons for adjudication delays are: 1) They're verifying your employment history with previous employers, 2) Your separation reason needs additional review (like if you quit vs were laid off), or 3) There's a discrepancy in your application that needs clarification. The frustrating part is they don't tell you which one it is. I've been keeping a log of all my call attempts and plan to try the 8am strategy mentioned above. Has anyone had success with contacting their local career center instead of the main DOL number?