FINAL UPDATE: The money hit my account this morning! For anyone else who makes a certification mistake - make sure you speak with someone who can actually approve the correction, not just submit it. Regular agents seem to give standard timeframes that aren't accurate for these special cases. Huge relief to finally have this resolved.

So glad to see this resolved! This thread is really helpful for understanding the difference between getting a correction "submitted" vs actually "approved." I'm dealing with a similar issue right now where I accidentally marked the wrong earnings amount during certification. It's been 6 days since they said it was "fixed" but my payment is still showing as pending. Based on what everyone shared here, sounds like I need to call back and specifically ask to speak with someone who can actually approve the correction, not just the regular agents who can only see the status. Thanks for all the detailed updates - this gives me hope that it can actually get resolved quickly once you reach the right person!

Based on everything you've shared, this sounds like the March system update issue. Your friend should: 1. Continue certifying weekly without fail 2. Try calling first thing Monday morning (7:30am is best) 3. Check his online account settings to ensure contact information is current 4. Look for a mail notice (sometimes they send physical mail but not online messages) 5. Verify his direct deposit or debit card information hasn't expired If he still can't get through by phone after 3 days of trying, the Claimyr service mentioned above might be worth considering as waiting too long can further complicate the resolution.

I went through something similar last year and it turned out to be a "routine review" that wasn't routine at all - took 6 weeks to resolve! The most frustrating part is how the system gives you zero indication of what's happening. One thing that helped me was documenting everything - screenshot his account pages, note the dates he certified, keep records of when he tries calling. When you finally get through to someone, having all that info ready makes the call go much faster. Also, tell him to check if his bank account info is still valid - I've seen cases where expired debit cards caused payments to bounce back and trigger account holds. Hope this gets resolved soon!

Just wanted to add that if you do end up having to pay back the overpayment, you can potentially claim it as a deduction on next year's tax return under the claim of right doctrine. Not tax advice obviously but worth asking a tax professional about.

I went through this exact same thing last year and it's incredibly frustrating. The key thing to understand is that NYS Department of Labor overpayments are usually based on either unreported income, work search requirements not being met, or employer wage reports that contradict what you certified. The taxes you paid don't factor into whether you were eligible - they're completely separate processes. My advice: 1) Request a detailed breakdown of exactly which weeks they're claiming as overpaid and why, 2) Gather all your documentation from that period (work search logs, income reports, etc.), and 3) Appeal within the 30-day window even if you're not sure - you can always withdraw the appeal later but you can't file one after the deadline. Don't let them just take your word for it that you owe the money without proving exactly how they calculated it.

The key is understanding that unemployment isn't automatic even when you're terminated. NYS Department of Labor has to determine if the termination was for cause (misconduct) or not. Attendance issues can be tricky - it depends if you followed company policy for reporting absences and if there were legitimate reasons.

I went through this exact situation last year and it's really nerve-wracking but you have a good chance if you have documentation. Since you have texts showing you communicated about childcare issues and called in when late, that works in your favor. NYS Department of Labor will look at whether your employer had clear attendance policies, if they gave you progressive discipline (warnings before termination), and if your reasons were legitimate. Childcare issues are generally considered valid reasons for attendance problems. Make sure to submit all your text messages and any emails as evidence during the adjudication process. It took about 6 weeks for my case to be resolved but I did get approved in the end.

If you do owe the money legitimately, NYS Department of Labor offers payment plans. Don't ignore the notice - that will only make things worse. Even if you appeal, you should still contact them about payment options in case the appeal doesn't go your way. They're usually willing to work with people who communicate proactively.

I went through this exact situation last year. The key is to act quickly - you typically have 10 days from the date on the notice to request a hearing if you want to appeal. Make sure to keep copies of everything and gather any documentation that supports your case (job search records, work schedules, etc.). Even if you're not sure about appealing, it's worth requesting the hearing to buy yourself time to review everything properly. The worst thing you can do is ignore it completely.