Can't certify for NY unemployment because of waiting week - phone lines always busy

Thank you! I've been trying mostly mornings, so I'll try those mid-day and afternoon times. Did you have to do anything special when the automated system answered?

Never heard of this before. Does it actually work? I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point.

my cousin used that service last wk and got thru in like an hour!! she had been trying for days b4 that

While the system is definitely overloaded, I don't think it's intentionally designed to block claims. The waiting week credit requests require manual review by a claims specialist, which creates a bottleneck. They're understaffed for the volume of requests they receive, especially at the beginning of each month.

I looked everywhere on the site and couldn't find a callback option specifically for the waiting week issue. Where exactly did you find it?

oh maybe they got rid of it. it was under contact us last yr when i used it. sorry bout that

Once you get through, the process itself is quick. The rep will verify your identity, confirm your claim details, and manually process the waiting week credit. Takes about 10-15 minutes once you actually reach someone. They'll update your account so you can resume weekly certification online immediately after the call.

That's a clever idea! I might try that if the other suggestions don't work. Did the rep seem annoyed that you used that workaround?

Not at all! They were just happy to help. I think they understand how frustrating the phone system is.

I'll definitely try Wednesday morning! Any specific time your brother recommends?

he said like 10:30 after the morning rush is best

I actually managed to get through! I tried the Claimyr service that someone mentioned above, and I got a callback with a rep about 50 minutes later. The rep processed my waiting week credit in about 10 minutes, and I was able to certify for all my back weeks right after. Worth every penny to avoid the endless redial nightmare. Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!

That's amazing news! So glad you finally got through. I'm still stuck in the same situation - going to try Claimyr today. Quick question - did they charge you upfront or only after they successfully connected you to a rep? Want to make sure I understand how their service works before I sign up.

That's awesome that you got through! I'm still stuck in the same situation - been trying for over a week now. Just signed up for Claimyr based on your success story. Quick question - did they charge you upfront or only after they successfully connected you to a rep? And did you have to stay by your phone the whole time or could you go about your day?

@Isabella Oliveira They only charge after you successfully connect with a rep - no upfront fees. You can go about your day normally! They send you a text when they re'about to connect you usually (gives you about 2-3 minutes heads up to find your phone .)The whole process was way less stressful than sitting by the phone all day hitting redial. Hope it works for you too!

@Anastasia Kozlov Welcome to the struggle! I went through this exact same nightmare about 6 months ago. One thing I d'add to the great advice already here - if you do try calling on Wednesday at 10:30am like Carmen s'brother suggested, have your claim information ready to go social (security number, PIN, employer details because) once you get through, they ll'want to verify everything quickly. Also keep a notepad handy to write down any reference numbers they give you. The whole process moves fast once you actually reach someone. Good luck - you ve'got this! 💪

@GalacticGladiator That's really helpful advice about having everything ready! I just went through my paperwork and made sure I have all my claim details organized. Quick question - did they ask for any specific employer information beyond the basic company name and address? I want to make sure I'm not caught off guard when I finally get through. Also, did the reference number they gave you help with anything later, or was it just for their records?

@Anastasia Kozlov I just went through this exact same situation last week! Pro tip - when you do get through and (you will! ,)ask the rep to also check if there are any other pending issues on your account while you have them on the line. I found out I had a minor address verification flag that would have caused problems later. Also, once they process your waiting week credit, you might see a brief delay before you can certify online - don t'panic! It usually updates within 2-4 hours. The rep told me this is normal as their systems sync up. Hang in there, the relief when you finally get it resolved is amazing!

@Lydia Santiago That s'really smart advice about asking them to check for other issues! I never would have thought of that. Quick question - when you say the system takes 2-4 hours to sync up, does that mean you can t'certify at all during that time, or just that it might show some weird errors? I m'worried about missing my certification window if I get through late in the week. Also, did you have to do anything special to trigger the sync, or does it happen automatically once the rep makes the changes?

@Lydia Santiago That s'such good advice about checking for other pending issues! I never would have thought to ask about that. Quick question - when you say the system takes 2-4 hours to sync up, does that mean you couldn t'certify for any weeks during that time, or just the waiting week? I have 3 weeks backed up that I need to certify for, so I want to make sure I understand the process. Also, did you end up getting all your back payments processed at once after everything was resolved?

@Lydia Santiago That s'such good advice about checking for other pending issues! I never would have thought to ask about that. I m'definitely going to write down all these tips before I make my attempts this week. It s'really encouraging to see so many people who ve'successfully gotten through this process. The waiting week requirement seems like such an outdated policy - hopefully they ll'modernize this system eventually so people don t'have to go through this phone maze just to get their benefits processed.

@Lydia Santiago That s'such good advice about asking them to check for other issues! I actually had no idea they could do that. I m'definitely going to make a list of questions to ask when I finally get through. It s'so reassuring to hear from people who ve'been through this exact situation and came out the other side. This whole thread has been incredibly helpful - I was starting to think I d'never be able to certify again! 😅

@Lydia Santiago That s'such great advice about asking them to check for other pending issues! I never would have thought of that. It makes total sense to handle everything in one call rather than risk having to go through this phone nightmare again later. I m'definitely going to write down all these tips before I start calling. Did the address verification thing require any additional documentation, or were they able to clear it right there on the call?

@Lydia Santiago That s'really helpful advice about asking them to check for other issues! I never would have thought of that. It makes total sense to maximize the time you have with them since it s'so hard to get through. I m'definitely writing down all these tips before I start my calling marathon. Did you end up using any of the specific timing strategies mentioned here, or did you just get lucky with regular calling?

@Lydia Santiago That s'such good advice about checking for other pending issues! I wouldn t'have thought of that. I m'actually going to make a list of questions to ask once I get through so I don t'forget anything in the moment. Did they mention anything about how long the waiting week credit takes to show up in your payment? I m'worried about timing since I need to make rent next week.

@Lydia Santiago That s'really helpful about asking them to check for other pending issues! I wouldn t'have thought of that. Quick question - when you say there might be a 2-4 hour delay before you can certify online, does that mean you should wait before trying to log in, or is it okay to keep checking periodically? I m'worried about accidentally triggering another issue by logging in too soon after they make the changes.

@Lydia Santiago That s'really helpful about checking for other pending issues! I didn t'even think about that. Quick question - when you called, did you mention the waiting week issue right away when the automated system asked what you were calling about, or did you choose a different option? I m'wondering if there s'a specific path through the phone menu that gets you to the right department faster.

@Lydia Santiago That s'such great advice about asking them to check for other issues! I never would have thought of that. It s'smart to maximize your time with the rep since getting through is the hardest part. I m'actually feeling optimistic now after reading everyone s'success stories. Going to try calling Wednesday morning first, but it s'reassuring to know Claimyr is there as a backup option if the traditional calling doesn t'work out. This thread has been incredibly helpful - way better than the vague info on the official DOL website!

@Lydia Santiago That s'really smart advice about asking them to check for other issues! I never would have thought of that. Did you end up having any problems with that address verification flag, or were they able to clear it up during the same call? I m'definitely going to ask about that when I get through. Also good to know about the 2-4 hour delay for the system sync - I would have probably panicked and started calling again thinking something went wrong. Thanks for the heads up!

@Lydia Santiago That s'such helpful advice about checking for other pending issues! I never would have thought to ask about that. Quick question - when you say there might be a 2-4 hour delay before you can certify online, does that mean you should wait to try logging in, or is it okay to keep checking periodically? I m'worried about accidentally triggering another system error if I try to certify too soon after they process the waiting week credit. Also, did your back payments come through normally once everything was resolved?

@Lydia Santiago That s'such good advice about asking them to check for other issues! I wish I had known that when I finally got through. I ended up having to call back a month later for a separate address verification thing that could have been handled in the same call. Also want to echo what you said about the system delay - I panicked when I couldn t'certify immediately after my call and almost called back thinking something went wrong. Patience is key with these systems! @Anastasia Kozlov definitely take notes during your call too - I forgot to write down my confirmation number and spent days worrying it hadn t actually'gone through properly.

@Lydia Santiago That s'such great advice about checking for other pending issues! I never would have thought to ask about that. It makes total sense to handle everything in one call since getting through is the hardest part. I m'definitely going to write down all these tips before I start calling. Did the address verification thing require any additional documentation, or were they able to resolve it right on the call?

@Lydia Santiago That s'such good advice about asking them to check for other issues! I didn t'even think about that. Quick question - when you say there might be a 2-4 hour delay before you can certify online, did you try logging in right after the call or did you wait? I m'worried I ll'panic and think something went wrong if I can t'certify immediately after they fix it.

@Lydia Santiago That s'such helpful advice about asking them to check for other issues! I never would have thought of that. I m'definitely going to try the Wednesday morning approach first since I ve'been calling mostly in the early mornings and afternoons with no luck. It s'reassuring to hear that so many people have gotten through eventually - I was starting to think it was impossible. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here, it makes this whole process feel less isolating when you know others have been through the same struggle and made it out the other side!

@Lydia Santiago That s'such good advice about asking them to check for other issues! I never would have thought of that. I m'actually preparing a little checklist now based on everyone s'suggestions: call Wednesday 10:30am, have all my info ready, ask about other account flags, and write down reference numbers. It s'crazy how much insider knowledge you need just to navigate their own system. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences - makes this whole process feel way less impossible!

@Lydia Santiago That s'such a good point about asking them to check for other issues while you have them on the line! I never would have thought of that. I m'definitely going to make a list of questions to ask when I finally get through. Did they find any other common issues that people run into? I want to make sure I don t'have to go through this phone nightmare again later for something else. Also thanks for the heads up about the 2-4 hour delay - I would have definitely panicked if I couldn t'certify right away!

@Lydia Santiago That s'such good advice about asking them to check for other issues! I never would have thought of that. I m'definitely writing that down along with having all my documents ready. It s'really encouraging to hear from so many people who ve'successfully gotten through this process. I was starting to think I d'be stuck in phone hell forever. Going to try the Wednesday morning approach first thing next week - fingers crossed! 🤞

@Lydia Santiago That s'such helpful advice about checking for other pending issues! I never would have thought to ask about that. Quick question - when you say there might be a 2-4 hour delay before you can certify online after they process the waiting week credit, did you get any kind of confirmation email or notification when the system updated? Or did you just have to keep checking the website periodically? I want to make sure I don t'miss the window once I finally get this resolved.

@Lydia Santiago That s'really helpful advice about checking for other pending issues! I didn t'even think about that. Quick question - when you called, did you mention the waiting week issue right away when the automated system asked what you were calling about, or did you select a different option? I m'wondering if there s'a specific menu path that gets you to the right department faster.

@Lydia Santiago That s'such great advice about asking them to check for other issues! I never would have thought of that. It s'smart to handle everything in one call since getting through is the hardest part. I m'definitely going to ask about that when I get connected. Did you end up finding any other issues on your account that you didn t'know about?

@Lydia Santiago That s'such great advice about asking them to check for other pending issues! I never would have thought of that but it makes total sense to handle everything in one call. The 2-4 hour delay info is really helpful too - I would have definitely panicked thinking something went wrong. It s'amazing how much easier this whole process becomes when you have people who ve'been through it sharing their experience. I m'feeling much more confident about tackling this now. Thanks for taking the time to share those details!