This happened to me too! After 6 days of no deposit, I called my bank (Bank of America) and they said the payment was there but flagged for manual review because of the large amount. They released it within an hour once I confirmed it was legit. Definitely call your bank first - saved me from dealing with the DOL phone maze! 🏦✨

Check with your bank ASAP! Same thing happened to my sister - payment showed released for a week but her credit union was holding it for fraud review because of the large backpay amount. Once she called and verified it was legitimate unemployment, they released it same day. Banks often flag big government payments automatically. Way easier than trying to get through to DOL! 💰

Also make sure you have documentation of any severance pay, vacation payout, or pension distributions you received. The NYS Department of Labor needs to know about any money you got when you left your job because it can affect your benefit start date. This is stuff a lot of people forget about and then wonder why their benefits are delayed.

One thing I learned the hard way - make sure you have your exact dates of employment (start and end dates) written down for each job, not just the months/years. The my.ny.gov system asks for specific dates and if you're off by even a day it can flag your application for review. I had to go back and correct mine which added weeks to my processing time. Also, if you had any union jobs, try to get your union local number handy as they sometimes ask for that too.

I'm going through this exact situation right now and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I've been on unemployment for 5 weeks and just received an offer that's about 30% below my previous salary in a completely different industry. I had no idea about the reporting requirement or the 80% threshold rule for the first 13 weeks. Reading everyone's experiences here has been so much more helpful than trying to navigate the official NYS DOL website. It's reassuring to see that multiple people have successfully declined unsuitable offers by being transparent and documenting their reasons. I'm definitely going to follow the advice here about reporting the offer on my weekly claim with a clear explanation of why it's not suitable work. Thanks to everyone who shared their real-world experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical guidance that newcomers like me desperately need!

I'm currently at week 7 of unemployment and just got offered a position that's about 50% below my previous salary in an entirely different field (customer service vs. my background in project management). This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea there were specific protections for declining unsuitable work or that I needed to report offers on my weekly claims. The 80% threshold rule for the first 13 weeks is news to me and gives me confidence that I have valid grounds to decline. I've been stressed about this decision for days, but seeing so many people share similar experiences with positive outcomes is really reassuring. I'm going to follow the advice here about being transparent, documenting everything, and reporting the offer with a clear explanation of why it's not suitable. It's such a relief to find a community where people share real experiences rather than just repeating confusing official guidelines. Thanks to everyone who's contributed to this discussion!

UPDATE: The payment history is back up this morning! Everything looks normal now and I can see all my past payments. Thanks everyone for your help!

Great to hear it's back up! I was having the same issue yesterday and was starting to worry. For future reference, does anyone know if NYSDOL has an official notification system or mailing list where they announce these maintenance windows in advance? It would save everyone a lot of stress if we knew about these things ahead of time instead of discovering them when we need to access our accounts.

Just remember to file your claim immediately even if you're not sure about eligibility. You can always appeal if they deny you, but you can't get back pay for weeks you didn't file. The worst that happens is they say no, but based on what you're describing, you have a good chance of approval.

I went through something similar last year - got fired for what they called "policy violations" but it was really just personality conflicts with my supervisor. The NYS Department of Labor investigation was actually pretty thorough and fair. They looked at all the documentation I provided and ultimately approved my claim because they determined it wasn't misconduct. The key is being completely honest in your application and having any documentation ready (like those sick call records you mentioned). Don't let your former employer intimidate you - file that claim ASAP and let the state make the determination. You've got rights as a worker!