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At my breaking point with NY unemployment - can't reach anyone and facing eviction in weeks

I've been trying for months to get my unemployment sorted out. The system keeps accepting my weekly claims but completely ignoring all my backpay requests from April. I've called at least 7 different numbers over the past few weeks and keep hitting dead ends. Every single automated line tells me they can't transfer me to a representative anymore, and I'm just stuck in this endless loop. I'm at my absolute breaking point. My landlord is starting eviction proceedings in about 4 weeks once the moratorium ends, and I literally have no money left. No family to turn to. I'm completely alone in this situation and honestly feeling so hopeless that I'm worried about my mental health. The anxiety and depression from this whole situation is becoming unbearable. Has anyone found ANY way to actually speak to a real person? I've tried everything I can think of - the regular unemployment line, the claims center, even tried contacting my local representative. Nothing is working. I'm desperate for any suggestions before I end up homeless or worse.

I feel for you so much. I went through similar hell back in October. Called nonstop for WEEKS and never got through. I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that somehow got me connected to an actual human being at unemployment. Best decision I ever made - the agent fixed all my backed up payments in one call. Genuinely saved me from losing my apartment. https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

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does this actually work? ive been trying to reach someone for like 2 months now

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100% worked for me. I was super skeptical at first but I was desperate. Got a callback with an actual person within like 2 hours. They fixed all my issues in one call.

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sounds like a scam tbh... another 'miracle solution' that probably doesn't deliver 🙄

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Nah man, I get the skepticism. I felt the same way but it actually worked. They just call repeatedly and then connect you once they get through. Saved me weeks of frustration and I got my money finally.

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Wait is this for real? I've been trying to reach someone for over a month now

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Yeah it's legit. I was about to have a breakdown after trying for weeks to get through. The relief when I finally talked to someone who could help was worth everything. Check out their site claimyr.com

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You should try reaching out to your state representative or state senator. My cousin was in your shoes and her state rep's office was able to escalate her case. Contact both their district and Albany offices.

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I did try this last week actually. Left messages with my assembly person and state senator. Haven't heard back from either one yet... starting to feel like nobody cares

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Sometimes you gotta be super persistant with the reps. Call everyday and be the squeaky wheel. It took me 8 calls to my senator before someone finally helped.

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This! The reps offices are flooded so you really have to push. Email AND call AND send messages on their social media. Whatever it takes.

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Have you tried the trick where you call right at 7:58am before they officially open? I've gotten through twice that way when the regular hours were completely useless. The system is absolutely broken but sometimes you can sneak in early.

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I'm so sorry youre going through this. Please take care of yourself first - the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-8255 if you need someone to talk to. As for unemployment, what worked for me was constantly refreshing the callback page on the website between 7:30-8am. Thats when they release new callback slots.

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Thank you for this. I've been trying to stay positive but some days are harder than others. I'll try the early morning website trick - haven't heard that one before.

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Hang in there. This system is designed to break people down but don't let it win. My friend also had good luck with claimyr.com when nothing else worked for her.

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The NY unemployment system is deliberately designed to be inaccessible. They WANT people to give up. It's disgusting. I was in your exact position last summer and what finally worked was sending a direct message to the NYSDOL Twitter account. They responded within 2 days and escalated my case.

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Wow I hadn't thought of trying Twitter. Did you just DM them or tweet at them publicly?

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I did both - I tweeted publicly first then DMed them my info when they responded. Public shaming works sometimes 🤷‍♀️

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Ok hear me out this sounds desperate but it WORKED. I went physically to the DOL career center and refused to leave until someone helped me. They eventually had someone call me from the main office. It was a 3 hour wait but I finally got my issue fixed.

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I went through THE EXACT SAME THING in May. It's absolutely criminal how they treat us. After nearly having a nervous breakdown, I found out about Claimyr through a friend. The site looked sketchy but I was desperate - claimyr.com - and holy crap it actually got me a callback with a real person who fixed everything in 15 minutes. I know it sounds too good to be true but after 3 months of hell it finally worked. Something else to try: contact your County Executive's office. They sometimes have special channels to DOL that normal people don't.

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not falling for another unemployment 'hack'... these never work

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I felt the same way, but I was at rock bottom and willing to try anything. Got my $5,800 in backpay within a week after the call. But try the county exec office too - it's free and sometimes works.

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hmm I've been burned by so many of these 'services' before... 🤔 what makes this different?

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They don't actually process your claim or anything - they just get you on the phone with an actual DOL rep. That's why it works, because talking to a human is the bottleneck. I had all my docs ready when I got the call and the agent fixed everything.

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I know this is gonna sound weird but my neighbor had success contacting the GOVERNOR'S OFFICE directly. She wrote a detailed email explaining her situation and how desperate she was, and apparently it got escalated. Worth a try at this point?

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This is actually good advice. My brother works for the state (not DOL) and he says governor's office complaints get special treatment.

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Interesting - do you know what email address your neighbor used? I'm willing to try anything at this point

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I think she used the general contact form on the governor's website. She also CC'd her state rep and local news stations (didn't actually send to news, just CC'd to show she was serious

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As someone who used to work for NY unemployment (quit last year because it was a nightmare), here's what actually works: 1) Call exactly at 7:55am when the queues are resetting. 2) When the automated system asks why you're calling, say "payment question" - this has highest priority routing. 3) If that fails, use claimyr.com - we agents actually know about it and it does work (we'd see the calls come in from their system). 4) As a last resort, contact your state assembly member for help. The system is deliberately understaffed and they've cut back on call center hours to make it look like fewer people need help. It's horrific and I'm sorry you're dealing with it.

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Wait, you guys knew about that Claimyr service? And it actually works? I always thought those were scams...

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Yeah we definitely knew about it. It's just a service that sits on hold for you. From our end it looked like any other call coming in, but they were persistent and knew how to navigate the phone tree. Not a scam, just a way to get through the broken system.

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So much THIS! I was a temp worker at DOL during the pandemic and everything they're saying is 100% accurate. The system is DESIGNED to frustrate people into giving up.

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please don't do anything drastic. i know how you feel. was in your exact shoes feburary-april. couldnt reach anyone for 8 weeks and was about to be homeless. finally broke down and used claimyr.com after seeing it mentioned here. got through to someone who fixed EVERYTHING in one call. hang in there. this system is brutal but don't let it break you.

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Have you filed a complaint with the NY Department of Labor Inspector General? It might sound pointless but they are required to investigate all complaints. I did this after 3 months of getting nowhere and suddenly got a call from a supervisor who fixed everything.

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I didn't even know this was an option. Do you have a link or phone number for filing the complaint?

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Here you go: https://ig.ny.gov/form/complaint-form-long. Make sure to document everything in detail - dates you called, what happened, etc.

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