Hot take: the KeyBank card is actually better than direct deposit if you have a bank that hits you with fees. No monthly fees, and you can transfer the money out to your regular bank for free once it hits. The initial wait sucks but after that it's smooth sailing.

Hey Emily! I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago. From my experience, once you cancel direct deposit and switch to KeyBank, your first payment usually takes 5-7 business days to hit the KeyBank account. Since you certified yesterday, I'd expect to see it by early next week at the latest. The physical card is a separate issue - that typically takes 7-14 days to arrive in the mail, but here's the key thing: you DON'T have to wait for the card to access your money! Call KeyBank at 1-866-295-2955 with your SSN and they can help you set up online banking to transfer funds out before the card arrives. This saved me when I was in a similar bind with bills due. Also keep certifying weekly even while waiting - don't let this mess up your ongoing claims!

Just keep applying for jobs and maybe consider expanding your search area or looking at different types of work temporarily. Sometimes you gotta take what you can get even if it's not ideal.

I'm in a similar situation - about 20 weeks into my claim and getting nervous about what comes next. From what I've researched, New York's Extended Benefits program is tied to the state's unemployment rate, so it's not always available. You can check the current status on the NYS DOL website under "Extended Benefits" or call their customer service line (though as others mentioned, getting through can be tough). Also worth noting that if EB isn't available, there might be other programs like PEUC (Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation) depending on federal legislation, but those come and go. I'd recommend starting to look into this now rather than waiting until week 25 - gives you more time to figure out your options and potentially appeal if there are any issues with your claim.

Just my experience but a month ago I had a forfeit issue and managed to get it resolved over the phone. The trick was I kept calling different days until I found an agent who actually knew what they were doing (took me 6 attempts). So yes it CAN be done by phone but you might have to be persistent and get lucky with who answers.

Just went through this exact situation 2 months ago! Had a 5-week forfeit for "unreported income" that was actually just a delayed 1099 issue. Here's what worked for me: 1. Filed the appeal IMMEDIATELY (don't wait - seriously) 2. Called the 209 number every single day at 8am sharp 3. When I got through, I specifically asked for a "forfeit specialist" (thanks to whoever mentioned that earlier!) 4. Third call I got someone who actually reviewed my case and saw it was their mistake 5. Forfeit was removed same day The key is persistence and asking for the right person. Most regular agents will just tell you to appeal, but the specialists can actually make changes. Also document everything - write down agent names, times, what they said. Don't give up! It's frustrating but you CAN get this resolved without waiting months for an appeal decision. Good luck! 🤞

This is exactly why the unemployment system is broken! Employers paying higher taxes just means they hire fewer people or pay us less. It's all connected and we're the ones who suffer in the end. I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for months and the whole thing is just bureaucratic nonsense designed to discourage people from claiming what they earned.

Just to add some specific numbers - in NY for 2024, employers pay SUI tax on the first $12,300 of each employee's wages. The tax rate ranges from 0.6% to 9.9% depending on the employer's experience rating. New employers typically start at around 4.1%. So for most employers it's a predictable business expense, not something that fluctuates wildly unless they have unusually high turnover or layoffs.

I called NYSDOL this morning and they confirmed they're experiencing "intermittent system performance issues" affecting some accounts but not others. The representative said they're working on it but didn't have an ETA for a fix. She recommended trying during non-peak hours (before 8am or after 7:30pm) and said if you're still having issues by this weekend, you should call the claims center directly for help with manual certification.

This is such a frustrating situation! I've been dealing with similar issues for the past few days. What really helped me was using a VPN to connect through a different server location - apparently sometimes the system works better from certain IP ranges. I switched to a server in Albany and was able to certify on the second try. Also, if you're using auto-fill in your browser, try typing everything manually instead. The system seems really sensitive to any formatting differences. Hang in there everyone - hopefully they get this sorted out soon!