Desperately need a way to reach NY unemployment - is there a secret number or hack?

dude the entire system is a complete trainwreck. I wasted a MONTH trying to get through. calling every day from 8am to 5pm and just hitting redial like a maniac. Same boat as u - payments just suddenly stopped with no warning.

After trying for over a week straight I finally found a service that helped me get through to a real agent. I used claimyr.com and they somehow got me a callback from unemployment within 2 hours. Talking to an agent got my $ unlocked so fast after weeks of nothing. They stay on hold for you and call when an agent picks up. Check out this video I found explaining how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

There's a special number I've had luck with. Instead of calling the main line, try 888-209-8124 but press options 1, then 9, then 2 when the menus come up. it sometimes gets u to a different queue. worked for me twice.

Bro I spent 4 DAYS calling non-stop. Literally set up my phone to auto-redial. Nothing. Finally broke down and tried Claimyr.com that someone mentioned on here before. Got a callback with an actual agent in like 90 min. My issue was fixed in a 10 min call. Best money I ever spent after going insane hitting redial.

Send an email to your state rep or senator! I was shocked but when I contacted my assembly member's office, their staff got someone from unemployment to call me back within 2 days. They have special contacts at the unemployment office.

If your payments stopped suddenly without explanation, it could be an identity verification issue. NY unemployment has been randomly flagging accounts for additional verification because of all the fraud. Check if you received any letters in the mail - sometimes they send physical mail but don't update the online system or notify you electronically.

Listen carefully 👀 NY unemployment is almost impossible to reach because they're still understaffed after the big COVID rush. Here's what you need to do: 1) First, check if there are any action items in your online account. Login and look for any "docusign" or verification requests you might have missed. 2) If nothing there, you NEED to talk to a human. Your fastest options are: - Try claimyr.com - I was skeptical but it worked. They call for you and connect you when a human answers. - Contact your state assembly member's office (google your district + NY assembly) - they can expedite - Call at EXACTLY 7:59am on Monday or Tuesday (statistically fewer callers) - Try the alternate number: 888-209-8124 and experiment with different menu options 3) Once you get through, ask them to put notes on your account about what happened so you have documentation. 4) IMPORTANT: Ask them if there are any pending identity verification requirements. This is causing tons of random account freezes. Don't give up! The system seems designed to make you quit trying, but persistence pays off. The fact your account says "pending" rather than "denied" means it's probably just stuck in their system somewhere.

try calling right at 7:30 am. thats when i got thru last month

Unpopular opinion but maybe try going to an actual physical career center? Some of them have DOL staff that can help with unemployment issues. Check the NY career center website for locations.

Wait are u saying ur benefits just randomly stopped with no explanation?? This literally just happened to me too! Last payment was 2 weeks ago and now nothing, just says pending. NY unemployment system is such trash.

THE SECRET METHOD FOR NY UNEMPLOYMENT CALLS: Call exactly at 7:55am. Dial the number and when it gives options, press 1, then wait for next menu, press 3, then 2. Then when it asks for your SSN don't enter anything and wait. Eventually it will transfer you to a queue for a live person. Worked for me last week. You still might wait on hold for 1-2 hours tho.

i tried for weeks to get thru using all the "tricks" people mentioned. Nothing worked. Ended up using claimyr.com after someone here suggested it and got a callback with a live agent same day. they found out my account was flagged for "income verification" that I never received any notification about. such bs but at least it's fixed now

another day, another person who can't reach ny unemployment... the system is broken beyond repair at this point 😞

Have u tried their Twitter? Sometimes if u tweet @NYSLabor with your issue (don't include personal info) they'll DM you and help. worked for my cousin

just FYI the reason so many accounts are getting randomly flagged is cuz ny unemployment got hit with MASSIVE fraud last month. like hundreds of millions of dollars. so theyre just freezing accounts randomly to make ppl verify. its stupid af but thats what happening

I'm in the exact same situation! My payments stopped 3 weeks ago with zero explanation - just shows "pending" and I can't get through to anyone. I've tried calling over 60 times, different times of day, different menu options, nothing works. The frustration is unreal when you're depending on these benefits to survive. Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like they're randomly flagging accounts for verification without telling anyone. I'm definitely going to try contacting my assembly member and maybe that Claimyr service people keep mentioning. This system is absolutely broken - how can they just stop payments without any communication?? Hang in there, hopefully we can both get this resolved soon!

This is absolutely infuriating! I'm dealing with the exact same thing - payments randomly stopped 10 days ago with just "pending" status and ZERO communication from them. I've literally called 87 times (yes, I'm keeping count because I'm going insane) and can't get through to a single human being. It's like they want us to just give up and disappear. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it's clear this is happening to tons of people and it's probably those random "verification" flags they're throwing around because of fraud concerns. The fact that they can just freeze our lifeline without even sending an email is absolutely criminal. I'm definitely going to try the assembly member route first thing Monday morning, and if that doesn't work fast enough I might have to bite the bullet and try that Claimyr service everyone's mentioning. Has anyone had luck with the Twitter approach @NYSLabor? At this point I'm willing to try literally anything. We shouldn't have to jump through these insane hoops just to find out why our own benefits got cut off!

I'm so sorry you're going through this - the system is absolutely broken! I'm in a similar boat where my payments just vanished with no explanation about 2 weeks ago. After reading through everyone's experiences here, it's clear this is happening to SO many people because of these random verification flags they're throwing around. Here's what I've learned from this thread that seems most promising: 1. Contact your assembly member's office ASAP - multiple people say they have direct lines to DOL and can get faster responses 2. Try the Twitter approach @NYSLabor - seems hit or miss but worth a shot 3. If you're desperate and can afford it, several people have had success with Claimyr.com for actually getting through to a human The fact that we're all dealing with identical situations (payments stopped, "pending" status, zero communication) makes it obvious this is systematic rather than individual account issues. Don't give up - you have every right to those benefits and answers about what happened! Keep us posted on what works for you because we're all fighting the same battle here.