just wondering but did u have any jobs in the last 18 months out of state? that always makes it take longer

Update for everyone: I just checked my account and my claim was FINALLY approved this morning! It took exactly 24 days from filing to approval. All my certified weeks show as paid now, with the payment scheduled for tomorrow. Huge relief! Going to keep certifying weekly going forward. Thanks everyone for your advice and support through this stressful time.

One thing to remember is that your benefit type can change during your claim period. I started on standby because my restaurant said they'd reopen in 4 weeks, but when that didn't happen I had to switch to regular UI. The transition was pretty smooth through the my.ny.gov portal, but I had to restart my job search log from that point forward.

As someone who just went through this process, I can add that there's also Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) if your job loss was due to foreign trade competition - not common but worth mentioning. Also, @Andre Dupont, make sure when you file for regular UI that you have all your employment history for the past 18 months ready. The NYS Department of Labor system will ask for detailed info about each employer including dates, wages, and reason for separation. It's much easier if you gather all that beforehand rather than trying to remember during the application process.

definitely get everything in writing from your doctor about what you can and cant do workwise. learned that the hard way when i had my back injury

I went through something similar about 8 months ago. The key thing to understand is that NYS Department of Labor looks at whether you're "able and available" for work, not just your employment status. In my case, I was on workers' comp for a shoulder injury but my doctor cleared me for sedentary work. Even though my regular job was warehouse work that I couldn't do, I was able to get unemployment because I could demonstrate I was available for office-type positions. You'll need to file for unemployment and be honest about your limitations - they may approve you for partial benefits if you can work in some capacity. The workers' comp and unemployment serve different purposes, so you might be eligible for both depending on your medical restrictions. Document everything and be prepared to explain your situation clearly to the DOL representative.

so yea everyone's giving advice about how to reach them but let me tell u what happens when you DO reach them - they'll say they need to transfer you to a "specialist" and then you'll get disconnected 🙃 happened to me THREE TIMES.

This is absolutely maddening! I've been dealing with the exact same identity verification nightmare for almost a month now. The system just says "additional verification required" but gives zero specifics about what they actually need. I've uploaded my license, social security card, and bank statements but still nothing. Has anyone had success with that Claimyr service people keep mentioning? I'm honestly at the point where I'd pay anything to just talk to a human being. The stress of not knowing when (or if) my benefits will resume is killing me. My savings are completely drained and I'm starting to panic about basic bills. Also - does anyone know if there's a way to escalate this through legal channels? Like, is there a state ombudsman or something for unemployment issues? This can't be legal to just indefinitely hold people's benefits with no clear path to resolution. Thanks for posting this - at least I know I'm not alone in this bureaucratic hell.

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at DOL! Used the Claimyr service that was suggested here and it actually connected me to an agent within about 45 minutes. The agent told me my investigation was actually complete last week but there was a system flag preventing payment release. They cleared it manually and I should receive all 7 weeks of backpay within 3 business days! Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions during this stressful time.

That's amazing news Connor! So glad you finally got through and got it resolved. This is exactly what I suspected might be happening - the investigation was done but stuck in their system. Your story gives me hope for others dealing with this nightmare. 7 weeks of backpay is going to be a huge relief! Thanks for updating us all, and definitely keep this thread in mind if anyone else runs into similar issues with NY DOL investigations.