I'm going through this EXACT same situation right now and honestly this thread is the first thing that's made me feel less alone and panicked about it! Had to quit my job as a restaurant manager in early March when my daycare suddenly shut down due to staffing issues (apparently half their staff quit at once). I've been waiting 2 weeks since submitting my questionnaire and I'm basically living on credit cards at this point which is terrifying. But reading everyone's stories here is giving me so much hope - especially hearing from people like @Natasha Ivanova and @Andre Dupont about the importance of specific language and documentation. I saved everything: the daycare's closure email, screenshots from 12 different centers showing waitlists or prices of $500-750/week (which would've been almost my entire paycheck!), my texts with my district manager about bringing my toddler to work (obviously they said absolutely not), and even my frantic posts in local parent Facebook groups. The restaurant industry makes it even harder because there's literally no way to do the job remotely and the hours are so unpredictable. I'm really hoping all these mentions of 2025 improvements are real because this waiting period is absolutely brutal when you're already dealing with the stress of finding new childcare AND looking for work. Thank you to everyone sharing your experiences - this thread has been more helpful than any official government website! Keeping my fingers crossed for all of us dealing with this impossible situation.

I'm going through this same nightmare right now! Had to quit my job as a pharmacy technician in February when my regular babysitter moved out of state with only 1 week notice. I've been waiting almost 3 weeks since submitting my questionnaire and the financial stress is unreal - I'm down to my last $500 in savings. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both terrifying and reassuring. It sounds like detailed documentation is absolutely everything. I kept screenshots of my conversations with 10+ daycare centers showing they were either full or asking $600-800/week (which would've been 75% of my take-home pay!), emails with my pharmacy manager about schedule flexibility (impossible due to controlled substances regulations), and even my desperate posts in local mom groups. What's giving me hope is hearing from people like @Natasha Ivanova about the "compelling family circumstances" provision and @Andre Dupont's advice about using specific language. I made sure to emphasize that I "exhausted all reasonable alternatives" and that the childcare loss was "sudden and beyond my control." The pharmacy work is especially tricky because there's zero flexibility - you can't work from home with controlled substances and you definitely can't bring kids around medications. Really hoping these 2025 processing improvements everyone mentions are real because this waiting period is brutal when savings are almost gone. Thank you everyone for sharing your stories - it helps so much to know we're not alone in this impossible situation!

I'm also completely new to unemployment and just filed my claim 2 days ago! This thread has been such a lifesaver - I was getting so stressed trying to figure out the my.ny.gov portal interface. Like everyone else here, I was totally lost until I found all this step-by-step guidance. I haven't even seen my status update yet since it's so recent, but reading about everyone's "Adjudication in Progress" experiences has really prepared me for what to expect. It's so reassuring to know that this seems to be the completely normal path rather than something to worry about! I've already bookmarked the direct unemployment services link, set up notifications, and made sure I understand that I need to keep filing weekly claims even during review. The Messages section tip is huge - I would have totally missed checking that regularly without this thread. Thanks to everyone for creating such an amazing resource for newcomers like me who are trying to navigate this confusing system for the first time. It's really comforting to know so many others are going through the same learning process!

I'm also brand new to filing unemployment and just submitted my claim yesterday! This thread has been incredibly helpful - I was completely lost trying to navigate the my.ny.gov portal until I found all the detailed guidance everyone shared here. The interface is definitely not intuitive for first-time users like us. Even though my claim is so new that I haven't seen any status updates yet, reading about everyone's "Adjudication in Progress" experiences has really prepared me for what to expect and helped calm my nerves about the process. I've already bookmarked the direct unemployment services link, set up text and email notifications, and made sure I understand that I need to continue filing weekly claims even during the review period. The tip about checking both the Claim Summary AND Messages sections regularly seems absolutely crucial - I would have completely missed that Messages section without this thread! Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed step-by-step guidance and creating this amazing resource for newcomers like me who are trying to figure out this confusing system for the first time.

I really feel for you - this kind of lingering worry about old claims can be absolutely exhausting. What strikes me most about your situation is how clearly you're demonstrating good faith intent. The fact that you're losing sleep over potentially honest mistakes from years ago shows you were never trying to defraud anyone - you were just trying to navigate a confusing system during an already stressful time. The gross vs net earnings confusion you mentioned is something I've seen come up in so many discussions about unemployment reporting. It's honestly one of the most common areas where people made honest errors, especially during 2019-2020 when so many were dealing with unemployment benefits for the first time while juggling part-time work. From what I understand, NYS Department of Labor does have the technical authority to audit old claims, but in practice they tend to focus their limited resources on more recent cases or ones with clear red flags suggesting intentional fraud. The fact that it's been several years without any contact from them is actually somewhat encouraging. I know everyone's saying "don't worry," which is easier said than done, but try to remember that you were doing your best with the information you had at the time. That genuinely counts for something if questions ever do arise. The anxiety about hypothetical scenarios is often much worse than any actual outcome, especially when your intentions were honest.

I can really understand the sleepless nights you're probably having over this - I went through something very similar when I started worrying about my 2020 unemployment claim about a year ago. The "what if" scenarios can absolutely consume your thoughts, but what helped me was learning that the vast majority of cases like yours - where someone was genuinely confused about reporting requirements rather than intentionally trying to defraud the system - are handled very differently than deliberate fraud cases. The confusion between gross and net earnings reporting was incredibly widespread during that period. I remember reading multiple forum discussions where people were asking the exact same questions you probably had back then. The system was overwhelmed, many people were navigating unemployment for the first time, and the guidance honestly wasn't as clear as it should have been. From what I've learned, while NYS Department of Labor technically has the authority to audit older claims, they typically focus their limited resources on more recent cases or ones with obvious patterns of fraud. The fact that several years have passed without any contact is actually somewhat reassuring - if there had been glaring issues with your claim, they likely would have flagged it much sooner. Try to be kind to yourself about this. You were dealing with job loss stress while trying to figure out a complex system with confusing requirements. That context matters, and your genuine concern about having done things correctly actually demonstrates the good faith intent that's so important in these situations.

I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now! My claim has been under fact finding for about 3 weeks and like you, I haven't received any notification about what they need. I've been calling every morning but can't get through. One thing I learned from a friend who went through this is that sometimes the fact finding gets triggered automatically by their system when there's a minor data mismatch - could be something as simple as your employer reporting a slightly different last work date than what you put on your application. The frustrating part is they don't tell you what specifically triggered it. I'm planning to try that proactive document submission approach that Evan mentioned - seems like it can't hurt to get ahead of whatever they might be looking for.

I feel your frustration - the uncertainty is almost worse than knowing there's actually a problem. I went through a similar situation about 6 months ago where my claim got flagged for fact finding with no explanation. In my case, it turned out my previous employer had reported conflicting information about my separation date to the state, but I didn't find this out until I finally got through to a rep after weeks of calling. What helped me was keeping a detailed log of all my attempts to contact them (dates, times, how long I waited on hold) and also documenting my original employment situation with dates and details. When I finally did speak to someone, having all that information ready made the conversation much more productive. The whole process took about 5 weeks total, but once they had the clarification they needed, my back payments were released pretty quickly. Hang in there - it's incredibly stressful but most fact finding issues do get resolved eventually.

I've been on NY unemployment for about 4 weeks and have been doing Coursera courses in web development (my field), but I was being really casual about it - just watching videos here and there for maybe 20-30 minutes at a time. After reading through this entire thread, I realize I need to completely change my approach! The level of documentation everyone is describing is way more thorough than what I've been doing. I've basically just been writing "online training" in my work search log without any details. Based on all the advice here, I need to start: - Spending at least 1 hour per session when I count it as an activity - Keeping detailed records of course names, modules completed, and time spent - Taking screenshots of progress and saving certificates - Connecting each course to specific job applications - Actually completing full modules instead of just sampling content The audit stories are really eye-opening - I definitely don't want to risk having to pay back benefits because of poor documentation. It sounds like the DOL is getting more strict about this stuff. One thing I'm curious about: for those doing technical courses like programming, do you document the actual coding projects you complete as part of the coursework? I've been working through some JavaScript courses that have hands-on coding exercises, and I'm wondering if I should be saving those as additional proof of engagement. Thanks to everyone who shared such detailed experiences - this thread has been a wake-up call that I need to take the work search requirements much more seriously!

Absolutely document those coding projects! As someone who's been through a DOL audit, I can tell you that having actual code samples and completed programming exercises as evidence of your coursework engagement is incredibly valuable. When the auditor reviewed my work search activities, they were really impressed that I could show tangible deliverables from my online courses, not just certificates. For JavaScript courses specifically, I'd recommend: - Screenshot your completed code exercises with timestamps - Save copies of any projects you build (even simple ones) - Document what specific programming concepts you learned in each session - Note how the skills relate to job requirements you're seeing (like "completed DOM manipulation exercises relevant to front-end developer roles") The fact that you're recognizing the need to be more thorough now is great - better to adjust your approach early than face issues later. I was pretty casual about documentation my first month too, but tightening up my record-keeping really paid off when I got audited. One more tip for web development courses: if you're building any portfolio projects as part of the coursework, definitely mention those in cover letters. I got several interview callbacks after highlighting recent projects I'd completed during my Coursera training. Employers love seeing that you're actively coding and building things, not just passively watching tutorials. Your plan to spend at least an hour per session and complete full modules is spot on based on everything discussed in this thread. Good luck with the job search!