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.

just apply asap there's literally no downside to filing early but there definitely is to filing late

@Chloe Green - Don't stress too much about the 8 month thing! I was in a similar situation last year where I'd only been at my job for about 6 months when I got laid off. NYS Department of Labor approved my claim because they look at ALL your work history in the base period, not just your most recent job. If you had any other jobs in the past 18 months, those earnings count too. The key is to apply TODAY - seriously, don't wait another day. You can do it all online at labor.ny.gov and it takes maybe 30-45 minutes to complete the initial application. Make sure you have your SSN, driver's license, and last employer's info handy. The waiting period that your manager mentioned is just the one week waiting period before benefits start, but you still need to file your weekly claims during that time.

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!

Hope you get it sorted out soon! Missing even one payment is so stressful when you're already dealing with unemployment.

I went through something similar last year. When payments show "processing" instead of "released," it usually means they're doing a routine review or audit. In my case, it was because I had reported some part-time work income a few weeks earlier and they needed to verify the amounts. The good news is that once it's resolved, you'll get all the back payments. Try logging into your account and look under "Messages" or "Correspondence" - sometimes they send notices there that don't trigger email alerts. Also check if there's a "Pending Issues" section that might give you more details about what's holding up your payment.

This is exactly why the unemployment system is broken! They can just randomly hold your money without even telling you what's wrong. I went two weeks without benefits because of some mystery issue that took forever to resolve. The whole NYS Department of Labor system needs to be completely overhauled.

@Maya Diaz - I've been dealing with NYS unemployment for over a year and this exact scenario happened to me twice. When it shows "payment issued" but your bank account is empty, it usually means one of three things: 1) There's a bank processing delay (can take 1-3 business days even after "issued"), 2) Your bank rejected the deposit for some reason (wrong account info, closed account, etc.), or 3) NYS put a temporary hold that doesn't show up in your online portal. I'd recommend calling your bank first to see if they have any record of a pending or rejected deposit - that's usually faster than trying to get through to DOL. If your bank shows nothing, then you'll need to bite the bullet and keep calling the unemployment line until you get through.