Glad to hear you found the document request! That's almost certainly what's been holding things up. Once you upload those, you should see movement within 3-5 business days. Just to prepare you: the system often doesn't send a confirmation when they receive/approve the documents, so it might still look like they're pending on your end even after they've been processed internally. Keep certifying weekly and you should see the payments appear suddenly. One more tip: if you upload the documents today, call tomorrow morning and just ask them to confirm receipt. That sometimes speeds up the review process since it flags your account for attention.

Just wanted to jump in as someone who's been helping folks navigate the NY unemployment system for the past few years. What you're experiencing is unfortunately the "new normal" since they rolled out their updated fraud detection system. A few quick tips that might help speed things along: 1. Document EVERYTHING - take screenshots of your account status, save confirmation numbers from any calls you make 2. If you haven't already, create a simple log of every action you take (calls made, documents uploaded, etc.) with dates and times 3. Consider reaching out to your local assemblyperson's office - they often have direct contacts at NYSDOL who can check on stuck claims The radio silence is the worst part of this whole process. At least now that you found the document request, you should see some movement soon. Hang in there - once it gets unstuck, the backpay will come through all at once. The system is broken but it does eventually work for most people. Keep us posted on how it goes!

Update from someone who dealt with this last week: mine eventually showed up, but they ended up paying me a day later than usual. Don't panic yet, but if it's not there by tomorrow definitely try to recertify.

This happened to me about 6 months ago and it was terrifying! Filed on Sunday, confirmation page looked normal, but then Monday morning it was like I never filed at all. I was freaking out because I had bills due that week. Turns out it was some kind of server sync issue on their end - my claim was actually processed but just wasn't showing up in the system. Took about 48 hours to appear and then my payment went through normally. The NY DOL system has so many weird glitches like this. I'd give it another day before panicking, but definitely keep trying to get through to someone if it's still missing tomorrow. And yeah, always screenshot that confirmation page now - learned that lesson the hard way!

NYSDOL posted on Twitter last month about some banks increasing their security measures and causing payment rejections. Check if your bank is on their list (Chase, Bank of America, and several credit unions were mentioned).

This is such a frustrating situation! I've been dealing with something similar lately. One thing that helped me was calling my bank's technical support line (not regular customer service) and asking them to check their ACH rejection logs. They were able to tell me the exact reason code for why the payment was rejected - in my case it was a "name mismatch" even though everything looked correct on my end. Sometimes the unemployment system sends your name in ALL CAPS or with different formatting than what your bank has on file. Also, if you have any joint account holders or authorized users, that can sometimes cause issues with government deposits. Hope you get this sorted out soon!

Update: I got my determination letter today! I was approved with the weekly benefit amount I expected. Looks like the effective days were indeed just part of the setup process, but approval came pretty quickly afterward. Thanks everyone for your help and explanations!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed my claim 5 days ago and just saw they added effective days yesterday. Reading through all these responses is really helpful - sounds like it's just part of their standard process but not a guarantee either way. The waiting is definitely nerve-wracking, especially when you're counting on these benefits. Sofia, congratulations on getting approved so quickly! That gives me hope that maybe the system is moving faster than I expected. I'll keep certifying weekly and watching for that determination letter.

I remember when I first filed, I was shocked at how much paperwork there was. But yeah definitely worth it. Even if you only get like $250 a week, that's still $1000 a month to help with rent and stuff. Plus you have to do the job search requirements but honestly that just helps you stay motivated to find something better anyway.

Based on your income ($18/hour, 32-35 hours/week), you'd likely qualify for a decent amount. I was making similar wages and got around $320/week when I filed last year. The key thing is they look at your earnings over the past 18 months, not just your current reduced hours. And yes, you can definitely file for partial benefits if you're still working reduced hours - you don't have to be completely unemployed. The application process is pretty straightforward online, just have your employment history and wage info ready. Don't let the paperwork intimidate you, it's worth it!