Any tips for getting through to ny unemployment after 3 months of waiting?

welcome to the club. I waited FOUR MONTHS before i got anything. the system is completely broken and nobody answers the phones. i swear they built the phone system to keep people OUT not to help people. keep bugging your assembly person, thats what worked for me eventually.

After two months of getting nowhere with calls, I finally found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a live person. They basically call for you, wait on hold, then connect you when someone picks up. Talking to an agent got my benefits cleared up in one call after months of nothing. Best thing I've spent money on during this whole mess. Here's a video about how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

Definetly contact your state rep, they can help soooo much. I was stuck for 2 months, my rep sent one email, and magically I got a call from NY unemployment the next day. That's literally the only thing that worked for me. Keep bothering them!

One thing that worked for me was calling right when they open at 8:00 am. Still had to wait but at least got through eventually. Also try calling on wednesday, for some reason that day seems less busy.

Here's my comprehensive guide to getting through to NY unemployment after dealing with this system for way too long: First, understand that persistence is key. The system is overwhelmed and understaffed, so you need multiple approaches: 1) Call strategically - Tuesday-Thursday between 8:05-8:15am or 3:45-4:15pm tend to have slightly shorter wait times 2) Contact your state representative AND state senator (do both!) - provide your claim ID, last 4 of SSN, and contact info 3) Use the message portal on the NY unemployment website daily - keep messages brief and factual 4) If desperate and can't wait on hold for hours, try claimyr.com - they'll wait on hold and connect you to an agent when one is available (this saved me after 2 months of trying) 5) Document everything - dates, times, confirmation numbers of all attempts 6) Make sure your online account info is 100% accurate and complete Keep in mind the backlog is still significant. Don't give up, and remember that retroactive payments will eventually come through when your claim is processed. Hope this helps! I finally got my benefits after implementing this approach.

The way ny unemployment handles claims is completely unacceptable. We pay into this system for YEARS and then when we actually need it, they make it impossible to get help. I'm about to be evicted while my claim sits in limbo for 10 weeks. America is a joke.

Email the commissioner directly. Sounds crazy but it worked for me after 3 months of nothing. Just be super polite and include all your info. google the commissioner's email, it's public.

Unpopular opinion: If you can afford it, get a dedicated autodialer app for your phone. Set it to keep calling the number over and over. It's what I had to do after 7 weeks of nothing. Got through on day 2 of using it.

You might want to check if there's an issue with your ID verification. I was stuck for 2 months before I realized they needed additional identity documents, but never actually notified me about it. Check your spam folder for emails from ID.me too.

The new york unemployment system is TRASH. I had better luck finding bigfoot than getting anyone on the phone 🤣

It took me 14 weeks to get my first payment, but I did eventually get everything including backpay. Don't give up hope. The system is slow but it does work... eventually.

FYI there was just an article saying NY unemployment hired a bunch of new staff this month so hopefully things will speed up soon. They admitted they have a backlog of over 100,000 claims from the last few months.

Not to be that person, but have you checked your claim status online? Sometimes issues get resolved but they don't tell you. I was waiting for a call back for weeks and then randomly checked my account and saw a payment was scheduled.

I'm just gonna leave this here... if you have Twitter, tweet at @NYSLabor with your issue (don't include personal info). Their social media team sometimes responds and can escalate cases. Worked for my roommate after 2 months of silence.

dont bother calling. complete waste of time. claimyr.com is the only way i got through after 2 months. had my issue fixed in one 15 min call and got paid 3 days later.

Keep certifying every week even if your claim is pending!!! This is super important. I didn't realize I needed to do this and lost out on 4 weeks of benefits because I thought I needed to wait for approval first.

Check your spam folder!!! I just found out that NY unemployment had emailed me THREE TIMES asking for additional documents, but all the emails went to spam. As soon as I submitted what they needed, my claim was processed in 4 days.

If u live near a career center, go in person. The one in Buffalo helped me when nobody would answer my calls. Bring ID and all your paperwork. The wait might be long but at least u talk to someone.

Anyone notice how the ny unemployment website always seems to be "down for maintenance" exactly when you need to use it? 🙄