The NYS Department of Labor is a joke honestly. They make you jump through hoops and then take forever to process anything. I waited 7 weeks for mine and when I finally got through to someone they said it was just sitting in a queue. No rhyme or reason to it.

I'm in a similar situation - filed about 2 weeks ago and still pending. From what I've gathered talking to others, the timeline really depends on whether your case gets flagged for review. Simple layoffs like yours should be faster, but the system is just overwhelmed right now. One thing that helped me was creating a my.ny.gov account if you haven't already - you can track your claim status there and make sure you're not missing any requests for documentation. Also, definitely keep filing those weekly claims even while pending. I know the wait is stressful when bills are due, but hang in there!

Make sure you actually certified for all those weeks during the adjudication period. If you missed any weekly certifications you won't get back pay for those weeks even if your claim gets approved later.

Good that you kept certifying! That was the right move. I'd give it until the end of this week to see if the back payments come through automatically. If not, definitely contact them - sometimes there's a glitch in their system that prevents the full back pay from releasing. You might also want to document exactly which weeks you certified for and when your claim was approved, just in case you need to reference it later. The whole process is frustrating but you should get every penny you're entitled to.

UPDATE: I took everyone's advice and called again this morning. After trying for about an hour, I finally got through using the Claimyr service that @user3 recommended. It really did connect me with an agent in about 15 minutes! I specifically asked for a hardship exemption and mentioned Policy Directive 2025-07. The agent initially tried to tell me about the 10-week policy, but when I mentioned the directive specifically, she put me on hold to check with a supervisor. When she came back, she said they would expedite my claim due to my hardship circumstances! She said I should see payment within 3-5 business days, including all my back weeks. Thank you all SO MUCH for your help!!

This is amazing to hear! Your success story gives me so much hope. I'm currently on week 8 myself and was starting to panic about the 10-week timeline. Going to try the Claimyr service first thing Monday morning and use those exact phrases you mentioned - "hardship exemption" and "Policy Directive 2025-07". Really appreciate you coming back to update us with what worked. Stories like this are exactly what this community needs to help each other navigate this broken system!

I thought aflac covered everything!! this is disappointing to learn. I've been paying them forever and now when I actually need help they don't cover unemployment? seems like a rip off

I went through something similar when I got laid off earlier this year. Aflac doesn't cover unemployment, but don't overlook other benefits you might have. Check if your former employer offers any severance, COBRA health insurance continuation, or if you have any unused vacation/sick time that gets paid out. Also look into local food banks and utility assistance programs while you're between jobs - every little bit helps stretch your unemployment benefits further.

Went through this whole process last week. You need a smartphone with a good camera that can do the facial recognition stuff. If you have an older phone you might have trouble. Took me about 45 mins total to get verified but then another 3 days for unemployment to actually recognize it in their system.

Same thing happened to me in January! The timing is definitely suspicious - they wait until you're almost done with benefits then spring this on you. I found the link through the official NY DOL website, not from the letter. Go to labor.ny.gov, log into your account, and look for any alerts or messages about identity verification. If there's nothing there, try calling the main number and mentioning the reference number from your letter. The whole process took me about 2 hours including a video call because the facial recognition failed twice. Make sure you have good lighting and a stable internet connection!