Do I need to file a new NY unemployment claim for my 8 unpaid weeks?
I was laid off from my construction job back in August, and filed for unemployment right away. Everything was going fine for the first month - I got approved and started getting payments every week. Then in October, the payments just stopped coming with no explanation. I've been certifying every single week like clockwork, but haven't seen a dime for about 8 weeks now. When I check my payment history, those weeks show as "pending" with no other details. I tried calling the unemployment office like 50 times but can never get through to an actual person. The automated system just tells me my claim is still active until next June. So my question is - do I need to file a completely new claim to get these missing payments? Or should I just keep waiting and certifying? I'm getting desperate here as I've already burned through my savings and my landlord isn't exactly the patient type.
42 comments
Laila Prince
You don't need to file a new claim. Your claim is still active. You need to talk to a rep to find out why your payments stopped. They probably put some kind of hold on your account and didnt bother to tell you. Its almost impossible to get through to them by just calling the regular number tho.
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Drew Hathaway
•Any advice on how to actually reach a person? I've been trying for weeks with no luck.
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Laila Prince
•I banged my head against the wall for 3 weeks straight before I found a solution. Try claimyr.com - it calls for you and connects you when theres an actual human. Only way I finally got through.
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Isabel Vega
•does that actually work? seems sketchy af
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Laila Prince
•Yeah it worked for me. I was desperate after calling for weeks. Got connected in about an hour and they fixed my issue right away. Totally worth it since I was missing like $3400 in payments.
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Dominique Adams
After months of struggling with the same issue, I found a service that literally changed everything for me. I used claimyr.com and it was a game changer. The service calls NY unemployment for you, stays on hold, and then calls your phone when they get a live agent. Got my backpay of over $2000 released after one 15 minute conversation with an agent. Check out this video that explains how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE It was honestly the best money I ever spent to get my benefits flowing again.
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Marilyn Dixon
•sounds like an ad... does it really work or is this some kind of scam?
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Dominique Adams
•Not an ad, just grateful. I was about to lose my apartment after 2 months of no payments. Spent weeks trying to call on my own with no luck. This service got me through in under 2 hours when I'd been trying for weeks.
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Louisa Ramirez
•I don't usually trust these services but I was out of options and tried it. Got through to an agent who fixed my pending payments issue. Had money in my account 2 days later.
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TommyKapitz
•hmm idk about giving some random site my info... unemployment scams are everywhere these days 🤔
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Dominique Adams
•They don't ask for any personal info about your claim. They just call the unemployment office and connect you when they get someone. Then you talk directly to the unemployment office yourself.
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Angel Campbell
DO NOT file a new claim!!!! It will mess everything up and could restart your benefit year. Sounds like you have a pending issue on your claim that needs a human to resolve. Keep certifying every week so when they fix it you'll get all your backpay at once.
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Payton Black
Same thing happened to me but it was 12 weeks of payments that just stopped. Turns out they flagged my account for "identity verification" but never sent me the notice 🤦♀️ Had to talk to a rep to get it cleared up. The system is completely broken.
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Harold Oh
•How'd you finally get through to someone? I've been trying for ages
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Payton Black
•After like a month of calling every day I finally got lucky and only had to wait on hold for 2.5 hours. But my friend used some service called claimyr.com that calls for you and had better luck. Either way, keep certifying every week!
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Amun-Ra Azra
KEEP CERTIFYING EVERY WEEK!!!! Even if you're not getting paid. This is super important because when they finally fix whatever issue is holding up your payments, they'll release all the back payments for weeks you certified. If you miss certifying for any weeks, getting retroactive certification is a whole other nightmare.
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Drew Hathaway
•Thanks, I've definitely been certifying every Sunday without fail. Just getting really worried since it's been 2 months of nothing.
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Summer Green
There's probably a hold on your account. This happened to me and many others. Here's what's likely going on and what you need to do: Common reasons for payment holds: - They need to verify your identity (very common) - You answered a certification question in a way that triggered a review - They're conducting a random audit of your work search activities - There's a discrepancy between what you reported and what your employer reported What you absolutely need to do: 1. Keep certifying every week without fail 2. Get through to a live representative who can look at your account and tell you exactly what's happening 3. Gather any documentation you might need (ID, work search records, etc.) Getting through to a rep is the hardest part. After trying for weeks with no success, I finally used claimyr.com which calls for you and connects you when they get a human on the line. It was the only way I finally got my issue resolved and received all my backpay. Don't file a new claim - this will only complicate things further and could potentially reset your benefit year or trigger more reviews.
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Gael Robinson
•This is the best advice ^^^ Exactly what I had to do to get my payments unstuck.
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Drew Hathaway
•Really appreciate this detailed info! I think you're right about the identity verification - I remember I had to upload some documents but never heard back if they were accepted.
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Edward McBride
NY unemployment is completely broken rn. Been on hold 4 HOURS today trying to find out why my payments stopped. This is ridiculous 😡
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Darcy Moore
Check your message inbox on the ny unemployment website. Sometimes they send you notices about additional info they need and if you don't respond, they hold your payments. The stupid part is they dont email you to tell you that theres a message in your inbox!
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Drew Hathaway
•Omg I didn't even know there was an inbox on the site 🤦♂️ I'll check right now, thanks!
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Darcy Moore
•No probs! Its hidden in the weirdest place too. Click on "My Online Forms" and then look for "Secure Messages" on the left side. System is designed by sadists i swear
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Dana Doyle
When you say "pending" does it show a specific message or just the pending status? If it says "pending-identity verification" or "pending-adjudication" that tells you what the holdup is.
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Drew Hathaway
•It just says "pending" with no other details, which is why I'm so confused!
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Dana Doyle
•Classic NY unemployment being vague af. You definitely need to talk to someone. Only they can see what's really going on with your claim.
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Liam Duke
Write to your state senator or assembly person! This literally saved me after 14 weeks of no payments. Found my rep's email online, sent them details of my situation, and they contacted unemployment on my behalf. Had my issue resolved in 3 days after that.
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Manny Lark
•This 💯 A senator's office has special contacts at unemployment that can actually get things done.
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Rita Jacobs
•ok but how do you find your rep? i'm not even sure who mine is lol
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Liam Duke
•Just google "find my NY state senator" - there's a website where you enter your address and it tells you exactly who represents you and their contact info.
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Khalid Howes
I had the same thing happen - payments just stopped with no explanation. After WEEKS of trying, I got through to someone who told me their system randomly flagged my account for "possible fraud" because I logged in from a different IP address (was at my parents' house that week). These people are clowns 🤡
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Ben Cooper
•lmaoooo they flagged me because I certified 2 hours later than usual one Sunday. Their fraud detection system is actual trash
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Khalid Howes
•omg are you serious?? what a joke this system is. they should focus on the ACTUAL fraud instead of harassing legitimate claimants
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Naila Gordon
If you certified every week but the status is pending, it sounds like there might be an issue with your work search requirements. Make sure you're documenting at least 3 work search activities each week. This is the #1 reason payments get held up.
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Cynthia Love
Just wanted to say you're not alone. I'm in the exact same boat - 11 weeks of pending payments with no explanation. The system is completely overwhelmed and broken. Solidarity, friend.
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Darren Brooks
Hey just a heads up, I was in the same situation a month ago and it turned out to be a quarter change issue. If your claim spans from one quarter into a new one, sometimes the system automatically reviews your eligibility. Keep certifying and try to get a rep on the phone asap.
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Rosie Harper
•This! Quarter changes mess everything up in the system. If your payments stopped around the beginning of October, this is probably what happened.
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Drew Hathaway
•Interesting - it was actually early October when the payments stopped, so this might be it!
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Elliott luviBorBatman
try calling right when they open at 8am. thats how i finally got through after weeks of trying. still had to wait on hold for 90 mins but at least i got through.
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Demi Hall
•I tried this and still couldn't get through. Their phone system is deliberately designed to make you give up.
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Mateusius Townsend
•I used claimyr.com after trying this method for 2 weeks straight with no luck. Got through first try and had my issue fixed in minutes. Payments came 2 days later.
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