Make sure you actually certified for all those weeks during the adjudication period. If you missed any weekly certifications you won't get back pay for those weeks even if your claim gets approved later.

Good that you kept certifying! That was the right move. I'd give it until the end of this week to see if the back payments come through automatically. If not, definitely contact them - sometimes there's a glitch in their system that prevents the full back pay from releasing. You might also want to document exactly which weeks you certified for and when your claim was approved, just in case you need to reference it later. The whole process is frustrating but you should get every penny you're entitled to.

UPDATE: I took everyone's advice and called again this morning. After trying for about an hour, I finally got through using the Claimyr service that @user3 recommended. It really did connect me with an agent in about 15 minutes! I specifically asked for a hardship exemption and mentioned Policy Directive 2025-07. The agent initially tried to tell me about the 10-week policy, but when I mentioned the directive specifically, she put me on hold to check with a supervisor. When she came back, she said they would expedite my claim due to my hardship circumstances! She said I should see payment within 3-5 business days, including all my back weeks. Thank you all SO MUCH for your help!!

This is amazing to hear! Your success story gives me so much hope. I'm currently on week 8 myself and was starting to panic about the 10-week timeline. Going to try the Claimyr service first thing Monday morning and use those exact phrases you mentioned - "hardship exemption" and "Policy Directive 2025-07". Really appreciate you coming back to update us with what worked. Stories like this are exactly what this community needs to help each other navigate this broken system!

Went through this whole process last week. You need a smartphone with a good camera that can do the facial recognition stuff. If you have an older phone you might have trouble. Took me about 45 mins total to get verified but then another 3 days for unemployment to actually recognize it in their system.

Same thing happened to me in January! The timing is definitely suspicious - they wait until you're almost done with benefits then spring this on you. I found the link through the official NY DOL website, not from the letter. Go to labor.ny.gov, log into your account, and look for any alerts or messages about identity verification. If there's nothing there, try calling the main number and mentioning the reference number from your letter. The whole process took me about 2 hours including a video call because the facial recognition failed twice. Make sure you have good lighting and a stable internet connection!

yeah my friend went through this same thing and won her case. the key is being able to prove you didn't do anything wrong. do you have any witnesses or documentation?

I went through a similar situation about 8 months ago when my retail job eliminated my position. My manager initially contested it claiming I had attendance issues, but I had kept records of all my approved time off requests and sick days. The adjudication process took about 3-4 weeks, and I had to submit a written statement explaining my side. The key things that helped me were: 1) keeping copies of all official communications from my employer, 2) being completely honest in my responses to NYS DOL, and 3) providing specific dates and details about the layoff. Since you have that reduction in workforce notice, you're in a much better position than I was. Just stay organized and respond promptly to any requests from the department. Good luck!

Just wanted to follow up - did you ever get through to someone? Were you able to resolve your pending claim issue?

Just wanted to add another option that worked for me - I reached out to my local unemployment office directly (not the main hotline). Each region has offices with case workers who can sometimes help with pending claims. You can find your local office on the NYSDOL website under "Find a Career Center." I walked in during their office hours and spoke to someone face-to-face who was able to look up my case and identify the issue. Sometimes the in-person approach works better than trying to get through by phone!