I'm in almost the exact same situation and it's incredibly frustrating! Filed my claim in early March, got the monetary determination letter showing $485/week, have been certifying religiously every week since then, but absolutely zero payments. When I call, they keep telling me it's "under review" but can't give me any specifics about what they're reviewing or how long it will take. What's really maddening is that I know people who filed AFTER me and are already receiving payments! The inconsistency in how they're processing claims makes no sense. I've started keeping a detailed log of every call I make because the representatives give me different information each time. Reading through all these responses, I think I'm going to try contacting my assembly member's office and also look into that Claimyr service. At this point I'm willing to try anything to get through to someone who can actually help rather than just reading me the same "pending review" status over and over again.

This entire thread is so helpful but also heartbreaking to read. I'm in week 16 now with no payment despite being "approved" and it's destroying my mental health. The worst part is feeling completely powerless - like no matter what you do, you're just stuck waiting for some mysterious process to complete while your bills pile up. I've tried everything mentioned here: calling daily, uploading extra documents, requesting supervisor escalations, keeping detailed logs. Nothing works. Every rep gives me a different story about what's supposedly happening with my claim. One said it was waiting for employer response, another said identity verification, another said there was no issue at all and it should process "soon." The system is clearly designed to wear people down until they give up. How many people have been forced to take jobs they're overqualified for or go into debt just because NYSDOL can't get their act together? This isn't just bureaucratic incompetence - it's actively harming New Yorkers when we're most vulnerable. I'm going to try the assembly member route and Claimyr service based on everyone's suggestions. At this point I'll try anything. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - at least we know we're not alone in this nightmare.

If you're having trouble getting clear answers from NYS Department of Labor about how wages affect your claim, I had good luck using Claimyr to actually talk to someone. They helped me get through to an agent when I had questions about my benefit calculation. Check out claimyr.com - there's even a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Way easier than trying to call the regular number.

This whole system is so needlessly complicated!! Why can't they just have ONE wage limit instead of making employers deal with federal AND state limits? No wonder payroll departments are always screwing things up.

Ugh, I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. I was in your shoes last year and it was awful. Sending you good vibes and hope you get it sorted soon! ❤️

I went through something similar a few months back - 8 weeks of waiting and constant busy signals. What finally worked for me was calling the Spanish-language line (even though I don't speak Spanish fluent) and asking for an English translator. The wait times were much shorter and they were able to help me just the same. Also, try calling their disability line and explaining your situation - sometimes they can transfer you to the right department without you having to go through the main queue. The whole system is a mess, but don't lose hope! Keep documenting everything like Sofia mentioned - that paper trail saved me when I finally got through.

The unemployment system is so frustrating! They make it seem like you can never quit but then there's all these exceptions that nobody tells you about. I wasted months at a terrible job because I thought I'd lose benefits if I left.

Before you quit, I'd strongly recommend documenting everything and maybe consulting with a worker's rights organization. A reduction from 35+ hours to 8-10 hours is pretty dramatic - that's basically going from full-time to barely part-time. NYS Department of Labor considers this type of significant hour reduction as potentially qualifying for "constructive dismissal" but you'll want to build a strong paper trail. Save all your schedules, paycheck stubs showing the income drop, and any communications about the hour changes. You might also want to formally request in writing (email works) that your hours be restored to previous levels - if they refuse or ignore you, that strengthens your case that the reduction was involuntary on their part.

Did you recently complete your first 10 weeks of benefits? Sometimes there's a recalculation that happens after the initial period, especially if there were any wage verification issues during your original claim processing.

I had a similar issue last year where my benefits suddenly dropped with no warning. In my case, it turned out that NYS Department of Labor had received updated wage information from a previous employer that changed my base period calculation. The really frustrating part is that they don't automatically send you a notice explaining the change - you have to specifically request a "monetary redetermination notice" to get the details. I'd suggest calling and asking specifically for that document, or if you can't get through by phone, try sending a secure message through your my.ny.gov account requesting an explanation of the benefit reduction and asking for any notices related to monetary redetermination.