


Ask the community...
The unemployment system is BROKEN! Six months and you still can't find work? That's not your fault, that's the economy being rigged against working people. NYS Department of Labor keeps talking about low unemployment but those numbers don't reflect people who've given up looking or are underemployed in gig work.
Don't give up! I was unemployed for 8 months before landing my current job. The key is treating job searching like a full-time job itself. I know the NYS Department of Labor only requires 3 job contacts per week but I was doing 10-15. Also make sure you're keeping detailed records in case they audit your job search log.
The whole unemployment system is a social issue! When businesses lay people off in waves like they've been doing, it creates this massive burden on NYS Department of Labor that they're just not equipped to handle efficiently. Then we all suffer with delays while they scramble to catch up.
I experienced something similar during the 2008 recession when I was laid off from manufacturing. Took almost 2 months to get my first payment because so many people were filing at once. The social aspect definitely impacts individual claims - when everyone in your industry or region gets hit at the same time, the system gets overwhelmed.
The appeal process for wrongful denial can take several weeks but it's definitely worth fighting if you were truly laid off. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while the appeal is pending - you can get backpay if you win. Also document everything about your job search in case they ask about that during the appeal hearing.
DONT GIVE UP! The NYS Department of Labor denies tons of valid claims hoping people wont appeal. I got denied twice and won both appeals because I had my paperwork in order. Get your termination letter, pay stubs, anything that proves you were laid off not fired.
Tyler Lefleur
THE WHOLE NYS DEPARTMENT OF LABOR SYSTEM IS A MESS!! I've been waiting 3 weeks for payments that show as 'paid' and nobody can explain where the money actually went. They act like once it says paid on their end that's the end of their responsibility but what good is that if we never receive it???
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Madeline Blaze
•I feel your frustration but getting angry won't help solve the payment issue. Focus on the practical steps to track down where the money went.
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Max Knight
Same thing happened to my cousin last month. She had to file a payment inquiry through the my.ny.gov portal under the 'contact us' section. Took about a week but they eventually found that her payments were being sent to an old account that got closed. They were able to reissue everything once she updated her banking info. Definitely start with checking if your bank account is still active and accepting deposits.
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