This entire thread has been incredibly reassuring! I'm currently on day 4 of waiting for my waiting week to be released and was starting to really worry about the whole process. Seeing Henrietta's actual timeline - waiting week released on Tuesday, first payment received Friday - gives me so much more confidence than the vague information on the NYSDOL website. It's also really helpful to see the warnings about potential delays and flags that might need manual clearing. I've got direct deposit set up and have been certifying weekly, so hopefully when my waiting week gets released I'll have a similarly smooth 3-day experience. This thread should honestly be pinned somewhere because it has way more useful real-world information than any official documentation I've found. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, both good and frustrating - it really helps newcomers like me know what to expect!

This thread is absolutely amazing - thank you everyone for sharing real timelines and experiences! I'm currently in week 3 of waiting for my waiting week to be released and was getting really anxious about the whole process. Seeing Henrietta's successful 3-day turnaround from waiting week release (Tuesday) to first payment (Friday) gives me so much hope! It's also really valuable to see both the success stories and the warnings about potential system issues that might require calling. I've been religiously certifying every week and have direct deposit set up, so hopefully when my turn comes I'll have a similarly smooth experience. The fact that multiple people here had the same 3 business day timeline really helps set realistic expectations. This thread has more useful information than hours of searching through the confusing NYSDOL website - you all are lifesavers!

Weekly claims can be filed starting Sunday for the previous week. So if you're eligible this week, you'd file your first weekly claim this coming Sunday. Make sure you have your job search activities documented since you'll need to report those when you file.

One thing to keep in mind is that even if your status shows "Active," you might still see some delays in your first payment while they verify your employment history and wages. This is totally normal! I'd also recommend setting up direct deposit if you haven't already - it's much faster than waiting for a debit card to arrive in the mail. You can do this through the same my.ny.gov portal under payment preferences.

I'm dealing with this same issue right now and it's so stressful! My benefit year ends in February and I've been losing sleep over it. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been really eye-opening. It sounds like the main takeaway is to file the new claim during that last week before your benefit year actually ends to avoid any payment gaps. @Millie Long your advice about gathering employment info beforehand is great - I'll start putting that together now so I'm not scrambling later. Has anyone had experience with what happens if you're working part-time when your benefit year ends? I've been doing some freelance work here and there but still need the unemployment support. Do I still file a new claim or does having any income complicate things?

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a newcomer here and my benefit year is ending next month, so this is exactly what I needed to read. From what I'm gathering, the most important things are: 1) File your new claim during the last week of your current benefit year (not after it ends), 2) Any remaining balance from your old claim doesn't carry over, 3) Your new weekly benefit amount will be recalculated based on wages from a new base period, and 4) Getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone is nearly impossible right now. I really appreciate everyone sharing their real experiences with this process - it's so much more helpful than trying to decipher the confusing information on the official website. I'm definitely going to start gathering all my employment documentation now so I'm prepared when the time comes to file my new claim.

Another thing to be aware of is that NYS Department of Labor also disqualifies people for: 1) Not reporting income from part-time work while collecting benefits 2) Being unavailable due to vacation or personal reasons without notifying them 3) Collecting benefits while actually working (even if it's just a few hours) 4) Not responding to their requests for information within the deadline. I'd recommend keeping detailed records of everything - your job search activities, any income you earn, and all communications with DOL. The documentation requirements can be pretty strict so it's better to over-document than under-document.

I went through a similar situation last year where I quit due to a toxic supervisor. Here's what I learned from the process: NYS DOL will schedule a fact-finding interview with both you and your former employer to determine if you had "good cause" to quit. During this interview, they'll ask for specific examples of the hostile behavior, dates when incidents occurred, and what steps you took to address the situation. The key is showing that the work environment was so unreasonable that any rational person would have quit. Keep all those emails you mentioned - they're crucial evidence. Also, if you filed any complaints with HR or documented conversations with colleagues about the situation, gather those too. Even though you didn't apply for other jobs first, if you can prove the environment was genuinely hostile and affecting your health/wellbeing, you still have a good chance of qualifying. Just be prepared to provide a detailed timeline of events and be completely honest during the interview process.

I was in a similar situation about a year ago - got terminated for attendance issues at my retail job due to a combination of health problems and car troubles. What really helped my case was keeping detailed records of everything. I made sure to save all text messages and emails I sent to my manager explaining why I couldn't make it in, kept receipts from car repair shops, and even got a letter from my doctor about my medical appointments. When I filed my unemployment claim, I was completely honest about being fired for attendance but provided all this documentation to show the circumstances were largely beyond my control. NYS Department of Labor approved my benefits after about 3 weeks of review. The caseworker told me that what made the difference was showing I communicated with my employer and tried to address the issues rather than just no-showing without explanation. Don't give up hope - attendance issues don't automatically disqualify you if you can demonstrate legitimate reasons!

I went through something really similar last year - got fired from my office job for tardiness issues that were mainly due to my kid's daycare having inconsistent drop-off times. I was terrified about applying for unemployment because I thought attendance problems would automatically disqualify me. But I filed anyway and was completely honest about why I was terminated. I explained the daycare situation in detail and provided some emails I had sent to my boss trying to work out flexible start times. NYS Department of Labor ended up approving my claim after about 2.5 weeks of review. The adjudicator said what helped my case was showing I had tried to find solutions with my employer rather than just being unreliable without cause. My advice is definitely file the claim - the worst case scenario is they say no, but you might be surprised. And like others have said, document everything you can that shows your attendance issues weren't just you being irresponsible.