Just checking back - have you had any luck with any of these suggestions? The car repossession situation is concerning and time-sensitive. If you've tried contacting your assembly member but haven't heard back, sometimes your county's legal aid society can help with unemployment issues as well.

I'm so sorry you're going through this nightmare with NYSDOL. Four months is absolutely unacceptable, especially when you're facing car repossession. I went through something similar last year and the stress was overwhelming. A few additional suggestions that might help: 1. If you have a Twitter account, try tweeting @NYSDOL with your case details - they sometimes respond faster to public complaints 2. When you call, press 1 for English, then 1 for unemployment, then 2 for existing claim, then 3 for payment issues - this routing sometimes gets you to different representatives 3. Try calling the Teleclaim line at 888-581-5812 and pressing 0 to speak to someone - it's meant for weekly claims but sometimes they can transfer you to the right department The fact that your car is about to be repossessed should definitely qualify you for expedited processing. Make sure you mention "financial hardship" and "imminent loss of transportation" in every communication. Keep us updated on how the assembly member contact goes - that's often the breakthrough people need. Hang in there!

I went through the exact same thing last year - filed in March and didn't see a penny until July! The "pending determination" status you're seeing is key. In my case, it turned out my former employer had flagged my claim for review but nobody bothered to tell me. What finally worked was calling at exactly 8:00 AM on a Tuesday (they seem to have more staff then) and staying on hold for 2+ hours. Yes, it's brutal, but I finally got through to someone who could see what was holding up my claim. They also backdated everything once the issue was resolved. Don't give up - that money is rightfully yours!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now - filed in late January and still waiting on my first payment! The "pending determination" status is so frustrating because they give you zero information about what's actually wrong. I've been following this thread and trying some of the suggestions people mentioned. One thing that helped me was checking the "Correspondence" section in my online account (not just Messages) - I found a notice there that I had somehow missed before asking for additional wage verification from a previous employer. Maybe check there if you haven't already? Also, I tried the Claimyr service that Sofia mentioned and actually got through to an agent yesterday! Turns out my claim was flagged because my previous employer never responded to their verification request, so it was just sitting in limbo. The agent was able to push it through and said I should see payments within 5-7 business days. Fingers crossed! Keep pushing - it's exhausting but we have to advocate for ourselves since the system won't do it for us. 💪

Keep filing your weekly claims for sure! Even if there's an issue pending, you want to maintain your claim continuity. I learned that the hard way when I stopped filing during an adjudication period and it messed up my whole claim timeline.

I went through something similar a few months ago and it was nerve-wracking! In my case, the "pending issue/denied" status showed up because NYS Department of Labor needed to verify my reason for leaving my last job - apparently my employer had reported it differently than what I put on my initial application. The whole thing took about 4-5 weeks to resolve, but like others said, I kept filing my weekly claims and got all the back payments once they cleared it up. One thing that helped me was logging into the website daily to check if any new correspondence appeared in my inbox, even though they're supposed to mail stuff too. Sometimes there are additional documents or questionnaires they want you to fill out that only show up online. Hang in there - most of these issues do get resolved eventually!

I went through a similar appeal process last year when my employer incorrectly reported that I was fired for misconduct. The 30-day deadline is firm, so don't wait! I submitted my appeal online through my.ny.gov which was much faster than mailing. For your situation with reduced hours, definitely gather all your pay stubs showing the decline, any emails or texts from your manager about the schedule changes, and if you have any documentation showing you tried to discuss maintaining your hours with your employer, include that too. NYS considers a substantial reduction in hours as constructive dismissal, which should qualify you for benefits. The hearing will be by phone and the judge will ask you and your employer questions about what happened. Stay organized and stick to the facts - you've got a strong case if you can prove the hour reduction made your job unsustainable.

I went through a similar appeal last year after being wrongly classified as a voluntary quit when my employer cut my hours from 32 to about 6 per week. The whole process was intimidating at first but definitely worth fighting. A couple of additional tips that helped me: Make sure you file your appeal online through my.ny.gov rather than mailing it - the online system gives you a confirmation receipt and tracks your submission. Also, when you write your appeal statement, be very specific about the timeline - include exact dates when your hours were cut, how much they were reduced, and when you ultimately had to leave. I created a simple spreadsheet showing my weekly hours and pay for about 3 months before and after the cuts, which made the impact crystal clear to the judge. One thing I wish someone had told me is that you can continue certifying for benefits during the appeal process even though you're not getting paid yet - this keeps your claim active. If you win the appeal, they'll pay you retroactively for those weeks. The hearing itself was less scary than I expected - just be honest, stick to the facts, and have your documents organized. You've got this!

update?? did u get thru??

Been lurking here for a while and finally decided to jump in since I'm dealing with the exact same nightmare. Week 2 of trying to reach someone about a payment issue and it's honestly affecting my mental health at this point. Reading through all these comments gives me some hope though - seems like there are actual solutions that work! Going to try that 8am call strategy with the specific number sequence first, and if that doesn't work I'll look into the Claimyr service. Thanks everyone for sharing what's worked for you, this community is a lifesaver when the system is failing us this badly.