I had a similar issue last year and spent weeks trying to get through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to ask about backdating. The phone lines are always jammed and when I finally got through they confirmed what others are saying here. If you need to speak with an agent about your specific situation, I ended up using claimyr.com to get through - there's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of redialing busy numbers.

I'm going through something similar right now and called the NYS Department of Labor directly last week. The representative confirmed that you cannot get benefits for weeks before you filed your initial claim. The system is pretty rigid about this - your benefit year officially begins the Sunday of the week you submit your application, regardless of when you actually lost your job. I know it's frustrating when you're already dealing with job loss stress, but the lesson I learned is to always file immediately even if there's a chance of getting rehired. You can always cancel or pause your claim if your situation changes, but you can't go backwards to claim those earlier weeks.

Keep filing weekly claims no matter what! Also check your correspondence section in the online portal every few days, sometimes messages take a while to show up there.

I went through this exact same situation about 3 months ago and it was incredibly stressful. My pending issue took 5 weeks to resolve and it turned out to be a simple wage verification delay. The key things that helped me: 1) I kept filing my weekly claims religiously even though nothing was happening, 2) I called first thing Monday mornings around 8:05 AM when they opened - had better luck getting through then, and 3) I documented everything including call attempts and times. When I finally got through to someone, they were able to expedite my case because I had all my paperwork ready. Hang in there - the back pay when it comes through will cover all those weeks you're waiting now. The system is frustrating but it does eventually work.

Congrats on getting called back to work! That's awesome news. I'm still waiting to hear back from my old job.

I went through this exact same situation last month! You definitely want to call the NYS Department of Labor to officially report your return to work date - don't just stop filing without notifying them. When I called, they updated my claim status immediately and gave me a confirmation number. It only took about 10 minutes once I got through to an agent. The phone lines are usually less busy early in the morning around 8 AM if that helps!

UPDATE: Finally got through today! Turns out my account was flagged for a random quarterly review (just like some of you suggested). The agent was able to verify everything and release all my payments while I was on the phone. She said the money should be in my account within 48-72 hours. Such a relief! Thanks to everyone for your advice and support!

Congratulations on getting it resolved! Your experience is really helpful for others going through the same thing. It's such a relief when you finally get through and realize it was just a routine review that they never bothered to tell you about. The fact that they can fix it instantly once you actually reach someone just shows how broken their communication system is. Hopefully your money shows up quickly - thanks for updating us with the good news!

Don't forget you can only collect for 26 weeks maximum in NY unless there's extended benefits. So even if you get $400/week, it's not indefinite. Also they tax unemployment benefits so factor that in when budgeting.

Just wanted to add that you should apply as soon as possible since there's usually a one-week waiting period before you start receiving benefits. Also, make sure you have all your employment history ready - they'll need details about your last employer, dates of employment, and reason for separation. The sooner you get your claim in, the sooner you can start getting those weekly payments. Good luck with your job search!