Can calling the governor's office help restart my NY unemployment benefits that stopped in October?
My unemployment benefits suddenly stopped back in October without any explanation. I've been trying to contact someone at the unemployment office since then but no luck whatsoever. I've sent emails, tried calling hundreds of times, and even visited their office in person only to be told I need to handle it through phone or online. It's been 4 months now and I'm still owed about $5,800 in back payments that I desperately need for rent and bills. Someone at my church mentioned that calling the governor's office might help push things along or get my case escalated. Has anyone here actually tried this approach? Does it work? And if so, when's the best time to call them during the day? I'm at my wit's end and willing to try anything at this point.
44 comments
Henrietta Beasley
I was in a similar situation last year when my benefits stopped for 3 months. Calling the governor's office did absolutely nothing for me - they just took my info and said they'd "pass it along" but never heard back. The only thing that actually worked was contacting my local state representative's office. They have staff dedicated to helping constituents with these issues and mine was resolved in about 2 weeks after they got involved.
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Diego Fisher
Thanks for the suggestion. Do you remember exactly which office you contacted? Was it your assembly person or state senator?
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Henrietta Beasley
It was my state assembly person. Just google your address + NY state assembly and it should tell you who represents you. Their websites usually have a 'constituent services' section.
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Lincoln Ramiro
I second this! My state senator's office got my claim fixed in like 10 days after months of nothing from DOL. They have special contacts there.
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Faith Kingston
After trying for weeks to get through to NY unemployment with no luck, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual human at the unemployment office! Talking to a real person got my benefits flowing again within 48 hours. It was the best money I've ever spent considering I was owed thousands in back pay. They have a YouTube video explaining how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE
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Emma Johnson
yeah right, another 'miracle solution'... what's the catch? 🙄
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Faith Kingston
No catch, it's just a service that waits on hold for you. When they get a live agent, they call your phone and connect you. Saved me from hours of hold music and getting disconnected.
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Liam Brown
sounds like one of those ads that pops up everywhere. anyone ACTUALLY try this or is this just spam?
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Olivia Garcia
I actually used it last month and it worked. After trying to call for 3 weeks straight and getting nowhere, I was connected to someone at unemployment in like 2 hours.
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Emma Johnson
hmm, might check it out then. nothing else is working for me rn
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Noah Lee
The governor's office is NOT going to help you directly. They'll just send your info to the same DOL black hole where all complaints go to die. Your best bet is to keep calling unemployment directly until you get through to someone who can actually help. I know it sucks, but persistence is key here.
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Ava Hernandez
I've been dealing with NY unemployment for what feels like forever, and I've learned a LOT about how to navigate this broken system. Here's what actually works: 1) Call early - like right when they open at 8am. The queue fills up fast. 2) If you can't get through by phone, try contacting your state representatives. They often have staff dedicated to helping with unemployment issues. 3) Document EVERYTHING - dates you called, who you spoke with, claim numbers, confirmation numbers, etc. 4) If you're still stuck, I'd recommend using claimyr.com - they'll wait on hold for you and connect you with an agent when one becomes available. It's how I finally got my issue resolved after months of trying. 5) As a last resort, you can file a complaint with the Department of Labor through their website, but honestly that rarely gets quick results. The governor's office might help in extreme cases, but they're usually not the most efficient route. Good luck!
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Diego Fisher
Thank you so much for this detailed response! I'll definitely try calling right at 8am tomorrow.
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Isabella Martin
This is spot on. I got nowhere for months until I used Claimyr. Wish I had known about it sooner!
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Elijah Jackson
I worked for the state for 15 years (not unemployment but different agency). Here's the inside scoop: governors office just forwards complaints back to the agency. What DOES work is contacting your STATE SENATOR not assembly person. They have more pull. And definitely not the governor lol.
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Sophia Miller
can confirm. state senators have specific liaisons at each agency including unemployment.
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Mason Davis
Does this work even if your senator is from the opposite political party of the governor?
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Elijah Jackson
Yes it does. The agencies don't care about party affiliation when a senator's office calls. They just want to resolve the issue so they don't get more calls about it.
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Mia Rodriguez
lmaoooo good luck calling the governor 😂 you'll have better luck finding a unicorn in central park. The system is DESIGNED to be impossible to navigate. They don't want you to get your money. Period.
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Jacob Lewis
This is the cold hard truth right here 👆
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Diego Fisher
So what did you do to get your benefits back? Or did you just give up?
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Mia Rodriguez
I ended up using one of those call services that gets you through to a human at unemployment. After that it was fixed in 2 days. The system is broken on purpose but once you get a human on the phone they usually fix it fast.
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Amelia Martinez
I went through the EXACT same thing last year. Benefits stopped without notice in August and I was owed around $4,200. I called the governors office and they took my info but nothing happened. Then I tried my state senator and assembly person - senator's office actually helped! Took about 3 weeks but they got everything fixed and I got all my backpay.
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Ethan Clark
I tried the governor's route and absolutely nothing happened. The only thing that worked for me was finding this service called Claimyr that waited on hold with the unemployment office for me. When they finally got through to a person, they called me and connected us. Got my benefits fixed that day after months of trying. claimyr.com saved my sanity.
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Emma Johnson
another day, another company promising to fix the unfixable unemployment system lol
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Ethan Clark
Trust me, I was skeptical too. But it's just a service that waits on hold so you don't have to. When they get a person, they call you. It's not some magic fix - they just help you get an actual human on the phone.
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Mila Walker
I've been on hold with unemployment for 2+ hours multiple times and then got disconnected. Might have to check this out.
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Logan Scott
I heard some people contact the local news to shame the unemployment office into action. That seems to work for some. Though honestly, none of this should be necessary. The system is broken af.
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Diego Fisher
That's actually not a bad idea. I wonder if any local stations have done stories on this.
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Chloe Green
Channel 7 did an "unemployment nightmare" series a few months back. Maybe reach out to them?
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Lucas Adams
Don't waste your time with the governor's office! I tried that route and got nowhere. After struggling for weeks I found claimyr.com which got me through to an actual person at unemployment. Fixed my issue in one call after months of frustration.
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Harper Hill
not falling for another unemployment 'hack'... these never work
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Lucas Adams
So I was about to throw my phone after 3 hours on hold when I found this. It's not a hack - they literally just wait on hold for you and then call when they get a person. Nothing magical but it works.
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Harper Hill
hmm ok might be worth trying. been trying to call for weeks with no luck.
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Caden Nguyen
I used it too. Definitely works. Saved me from so much frustration.
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Avery Flores
The people saying call your state rep are giving you solid advice. I emailed mine with my claim info and they had someone from DOL call me directly within 3 days. Way better than wasting time with the governor's office.
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Zoe Gonzalez
Has anyone here actually gotten results from calling the governor? Genuinely curious because I might try it if it works 🤔
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Ashley Adams
I tried it twice and got nowhere. They just took a message.
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Alexis Robinson
My cousin said it worked for him but took like 6 weeks to get resolved. Not exactly fast.
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Aaron Lee
I got results but not by calling. I submitted a complaint through the governor's website and got a call back from unemployment 3 weeks later.
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Chloe Mitchell
Have u tried sending a secure message through ur online account? Sometimes that actually works better than calling. Go to ur ny.gov account, log in, and then send a message explaining exactly what happened. I got a response in 5 days when I did this.
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Diego Fisher
I've sent about 10 messages through the portal over the last 4 months. No response to any of them. 😩
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Chloe Mitchell
Ugh that sucks. The system is such garbage. Might be time to try the state rep route then.
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Michael Adams
Whatever you do, DON'T call the regular unemployment line. Total waste of time. Either use your local representative or try claimyr.com - both got results for me when nothing else worked.
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