Can I go to unemployment office in person for NYS Department of Labor help?
I've been trying to get help with my unemployment claim for weeks now and the phone lines are impossible. Every time I call NYS Department of Labor I either get disconnected or put on hold for hours. My weekly claim certification is showing some kind of error and I can't figure out what's wrong. Is there anywhere I can actually go in person to talk to someone? Like a physical NYS Department of Labor office where they can look at my account and help me fix whatever is going on? I'm getting really frustrated with this whole online system.
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Anthony Young
Unfortunately most NYS Department of Labor offices don't offer walk-in services for unemployment claims anymore. They moved everything online and over the phone after COVID. Your best bet is still calling, but I know how frustrating that is. Have you tried calling right when they open at 8am? Sometimes the wait times are shorter then.
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Aurora Lacasse
•I tried that but still got disconnected after 2 hours on hold. There has to be some other way to reach them.
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Charlotte White
same boat here, been trying to reach someone for 3 weeks about my adjudication status... this is ridiculous
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Admin_Masters
You might want to try reaching out through your local One-Stop Career Center. While they can't directly access your NYS Department of Labor account, they sometimes have better connections or can help you understand what the error message means. Also, have you logged into your my.ny.gov account to see if there are any action items you need to complete?
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Aurora Lacasse
•I checked my.ny.gov and don't see anything obvious that needs action. What exactly should I be looking for?
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Admin_Masters
•Look for any messages in your inbox, incomplete forms, or anything marked as 'pending' or 'required.' Sometimes there's an ID verification or work search requirement that's blocking your claim.
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Matthew Sanchez
I had a similar issue last month where I couldn't get through by phone for weeks. Someone told me about this service called Claimyr that actually calls NYS Department of Labor for you and gets you connected to an agent. I was skeptical at first but tried it at claimyr.com and they had me talking to someone within like 20 minutes. There's even a video demo showing how it works at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. Saved me so much time and stress.
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Ella Thompson
•How much does something like that cost? Seems too good to be true...
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Matthew Sanchez
•It's definitely worth checking out the demo first. For me it was way better than spending entire days trying to get through on my own.
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JacksonHarris
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! They make it impossible to reach anyone and then wonder why people are frustrated. I've been dealing with an overpayment notice for MONTHS and can't get anyone to explain why they think I owe money.
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Jeremiah Brown
Good luck getting help anywhere in person. Everything is automated now and they don't care if you're struggling.
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Toot-n-Mighty
I feel your pain - I went through something similar a few months ago. One thing that helped me was documenting everything in writing. Take screenshots of any error messages you're seeing, write down the exact times you've tried calling, and keep records of all your attempts to reach them. This documentation can be really helpful if you need to escalate your case later. Also, try reaching out to your local state assembly member's office - they sometimes have constituent services that can help with state agency issues like this. It's frustrating but don't give up!
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Yara Sayegh
•This is really solid advice! I hadn't thought about contacting my assembly member's office - that's actually a great idea. Do you happen to know how to find out who represents my area? And when you say documenting everything, should I also be keeping track of the specific error messages I'm getting when I try to certify my weekly claim?
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Lucy Taylor
I'm in the same boat and it's incredibly frustrating! I've been dealing with a similar issue for about 2 weeks now. One thing I discovered is that you can try using the "Contact Us" form on the NYS DOL website - it's buried in the menu but sometimes they actually respond to written inquiries faster than phone calls. Also, I heard that some people have had luck calling the technical support line instead of the main unemployment line when it's specifically a website/certification error. The number is different and sometimes has shorter wait times. Has anyone else tried that approach?
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Miguel Silva
•That's a great tip about the technical support line! I didn't even know there was a separate number for website issues. Do you happen to have that technical support number handy? I'm definitely going to try that since my problem seems to be specifically with the online certification system rather than my actual claim status. The "Contact Us" form idea is smart too - I'll give that a shot while I'm waiting to get through by phone. Thanks for sharing what's worked for you so far!
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CosmicCowboy
Have you tried contacting your local state senator's office in addition to your assembly member? I had a nightmare situation with my unemployment benefits last year where I couldn't get through for over a month. My state senator's office has a constituent services department that actually reached out directly to the Department of Labor on my behalf. They were able to get my case reviewed and resolved within a week. You can find your representatives on the NY State Senate website by entering your zip code. Also, make sure you have your Social Security number, claim confirmation number, and any reference numbers from error messages ready when you do finally get through to someone - it speeds up the process significantly.
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