Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm going to look into whether my program qualifies as state-approved training, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I definitely don't want to commit fraud or lie on my application! I think I'll focus on finding a part-time job that works with my schedule and applying for more financial aid for school.

did u check if ur school has emergency funds for students? my community college had grants for people in ur exact situation. worth asking the financial aid office!

Glad to hear payments are starting to come through! This is pretty typical of how NYSDOL handles these temporary delays - they often process a large batch of delayed payments all at once. For anyone still waiting, you should see yours very soon. For future reference, when you see a delay like this, check the NY DOL Twitter account (@NYSLabor) as they sometimes post alerts about processing delays, though admittedly they're not always quick to acknowledge these issues.

got mine too finally! not gonna spend it all in one place lol. but seriously why cant they just TELL US when theres gonna be a delay instead of making everyone panic?

Update on my earlier comment - I just remembered something important. If your benefit year is ending soon, payments sometimes get held up for review. They have to verify eligibility for the new benefit year. Check when your claim started - benefits run for exactly 52 weeks from initial filing date before requiring renewal, even if you haven't used all available weeks.

Just to follow up - were you able to get through to anyone? Did your payment show up? Hoping you got it sorted out before rent was due!

My friend works for unemployment and says they're seeing TONS of these scams especially targeting people on unemployment. The real forms only ask for last 4 of SSN if anything. Never give your full number!

As an update for everyone, the official NYSDOL posted about this exact scam on their social media last week. They confirmed they NEVER initiate requests for personal information via DocuSign emails without first notifying you through your secure NY.gov account. Always log directly into your account through https://unemployment.labor.ny.gov (type it directly in your browser) to check for legitimate communications.

Great news! Yes, direct deposit to your regular bank account is typically faster and more reliable. You can make that change in your NY.gov account under payment preferences. Glad it worked out!

So glad it worked out! I switched to direct deposit and haven't had any issues since.

Just wanted to check in - any progress with your claim? Did you try contacting your assembly member?

my cousin had the same problem and it turns out he checked the wrong box somewhere on his application... might be worth going thru your initial claim again with someone on the phone to see if theres a simple mistake thats holding things up

This happens at least once every quarter with KeyBank in my experience. When I was on UI last year, I eventually set up text alerts for deposits so I wouldn't panic. Glad your money came through! For future reference, these delays almost always resolve within the same business day.

For anyone following this thread with similar issues: NY unemployment benefit payments typically post to accounts within 1-2 business days after being released. Occasional delays can happen due to: - Bank processing times (especially with KeyBank) - System maintenance - High volume processing periods (like month-end) - Weekend/holiday processing schedules If your payment doesn't appear after 3 business days from release, that's when you should contact NYSDOL directly.

I'm an unemployment consultant, and I see this situation frequently. After ID.me verification, your case goes into a secondary review queue at NYSDOL. Current processing times are approximately 3-5 business days. However, if you've been certifying for 5 weeks total with no payments, there's likely another issue with your claim beyond identity verification. The most common secondary issues are: 1. Wage verification discrepancies 2. Employer response issues 3. Availability for work questions 4. Previous overpayment flags I strongly recommend contacting NYSDOL directly. While their phone system is overwhelmed, persistence is key. Try calling at 8:00am exactly when their system opens, or alternatively, between 4:00-4:30pm when call volumes sometimes decrease.

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at NYSDOL! Turns out there was an issue with my employment history that required additional documentation - something that was never mentioned anywhere on my online account. They said once I submit the additional info (which I did while on the call), my payments should process within 7-10 days including all the back weeks I've certified for. Such a relief to at least know what was happening! For anyone else struggling to get through, I used the Claimyr service mentioned above and got connected to an agent in about 25 minutes. Worth it after days of failed calling attempts.

wait does anyone know if they count days you wer supposed to work but called out sick? my schedule said 5 days but i only worked 3 and called out 2 days last week

Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I'm going to talk to my manager about possibly condensing my schedule to 3 days when possible. And I'll definitely keep certifying every week even when I work 4 days. I appreciate all the advice!

wait now im confused... i've been saying YES to the return to work question but then they ask about my hours and pay anyway. my benefits got reduced but not stopped completely. am i doing something wrong??

I just certified following everyone's advice here - answered NO to returning to work, then YES to working during the week, and reported my hours and earnings. The system accepted it and showed my reduced benefit amount! Thank you all SO much for your help!