Desperate to reach someone at NY unemployment - certified but no payments for weeks!

I swear there's no worse feeling than the anxiety of waiting for those payments when the bills are stacking up. I went through a similar situation back in April. Took me forever to get through to someone.

After struggling with the phone lines for weeks and getting absolutely nowhere, I tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they actually got me connected to a real person at unemployment. Talking to an agent got my payments unlocked within days. Best decision I ever made considering how much money I was missing out on! They have a video explaining how it works here: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

Ive been dealing with this EXACT same problem! First they were paying me on time evry week, then suddenly nothing for almost a month now. When i try to call it just says they're experiencing high call volumes and hangs up. This system is completely broken 😡

Have you tried reaching out to your state representative? I was stuck in the same boat for 6 weeks last year, and my assemblyman's office helped push my claim through. They have special contacts at unemployment that regular people don't have access to.

Pro tip: call EXACTLY at 8:00:00 am when they open. Like literally have your phone ready to hit dial the second it turns 8. I got through on my third try doing this. If you call even 5 minutes after they open, your basically screwed for the day.

If youve been getting an email saying youre still eligible that might actually be part of the problem. I had a similar issue and it turned out they flagged my account for "identity verification" but never sent the notification. When I finally got through, they said there was a note on my account but the email notification never went out. Check your spam folder too!

The system is jst totally overwhelmed right now. My friend who works at NYSDOL says they have a huge backlog of claims that need review, and not nearly enough staff to handle them all. A lot of people are in the same boat as you. wish i had better news but this is whats happening

Listen, I know EXACTLY what you're going through because the same thing happened to me for 5 weeks. Here's what finally worked: First, the standard phone line is basically useless. I tried for weeks with no success. What worked for me was a combination of strategies: 1) I used claimyr.com to get through to an agent. They charged a fee but it was 100% worth it because they got me through to a real person who could help. That got the ball rolling. 2) I discovered my issue was a "pending identity verification" that got triggered when I logged in from a new device. The agent helped clear that up right away. 3) I sent a detailed message through the contact portal on the NY unemployment website, being super specific about my issue. 4) I contacted my state assembly person's office as backup. Once I got through to an agent, they cleared the hold on my account and I received all my backpay within 3 business days. The key is actually reaching a human at unemployment who can look at your specific claim. Don't give up! The money is yours and you're entitled to it. The system is designed to frustrate you into giving up, but keep trying all channels. That Claimyr service was honestly a game-changer for me though.

Have you tried contacting them through Twitter? Sometimes the social media team responds faster than any other method. Tag @NYSLabor in a tweet explaining your situation. Be polite but clear about how urgent your situation is.

check if ur account has been hacked. there's been a wave of unemployment fraud recently. if someone got into ur account and changed the direct deposit info, that could explain why ur not getting paid even tho ur eligible.

I hate to be that person but... welcome to ny unemployment hell 💀 Been dealing with their bs for 2 years now and it never gets better. the whole system is designed to make you give up

if you're really desperate and need cash fast, consider pawning something valuable temporarily? I had to do this when my unemployment got held up. Not ideal but I got my stuff back once the payments came through.

anybody notice they ALWAYS say "due to high call volume" no matter what time or day you call? like, fix the system then! hire more people! do something! we cant be expected to just wait indefinitely for money we need for FOOD AND SHELTER

Check your message inbox on the unemployment website! I had the same problem and it turned out they needed additional documentation but I never got the email notification. Found the message accidentally when I was clicking around the site.

have u tried the unemployment callback form on their website? Some people say it works but I personally never got a call back. Might be worth trying anyway, who knows

Try this hack: call the spanish language line even if you don't speak spanish. They usually have shorter wait times and most agents speak english too. Just say "english please" when they answer and they'll transfer you or help you directly.