Do I still claim NY unemployment weekly after 26 weeks end while waiting for Extended Benefits?

Yes, absolutely keep certifying every week! This is crucial. The NYSDOL system needs to see continued weekly certifications to process you for Extended Benefits. If you stop certifying, the system will think you're no longer unemployed and seeking work. There's no separate application needed for EB - the system evaluates your eligibility automatically based on your continued certifications. Just log in exactly as you've been doing and follow the same certification process each week.

yep keep certifying!! same thing happened to me, just keep doing it every week and they'll tell u if ur approved for the extension

Is the EB program even active right now?? I thought they ended that last year? The NYSDOL website is SO confusing about this. I'm on week 24 and panicking about what happens next!!! Will I get ANY notification if I qualify for extended benefits or do they just suddenly start showing up??

KEEP CERTIFYING!!! The system won't even consider you for EB if you stop. I learned this the hard way back in January when my benefits ran out. I stopped certifying for 3 weeks thinking there was nothing left, then found out I was eligible for EB but had to jump through EXTRA hoops to get it backdated. Such a headache. DON'T make my mistake!

Just adding to the chorus - continue your weekly certifications without interruption. Also important: make sure you're keeping detailed records of your work search activities. When transitioning to Extended Benefits, they sometimes review your work search efforts more carefully. I'd recommend applying to at least 3-4 jobs per week and documenting everything in case they ask for verification.

Happened to me too, kinda. I hit my 26 weeks and kept certifying. Took about 2 weeks after my regular benefits ended before I got a message saying I qualified for EB. Payment came the next day. So there might be a gap between your last regular payment and first EB payment, just FYI.

When I ran into this last month, I couldn't get through to anyone at unemployment to ask questions. After trying for days, I used a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending hours redialing. The agent confirmed I needed to keep certifying weekly and explained that my EB review was already in process. Saved me tons of stress. You can see how it works at claimyr.com or check their demo at https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE if you need to talk to someone directly about your specific situation.

I had a similar thing last year but my situation was different because I had some part-time work during my claim which gave me some weird calculations. Anyway my brother-in-law works for the state (not DOL) and he said the most important thing is keeping up with those weekly certifications even when you're not sure if you'll get anything. They can't help you if you don't keep certifying.

One more important detail: when you certify after exhausting regular benefits, you might see a $0.00 benefit amount on your payment history. This is normal during the transition period while they're determining your EB eligibility. Don't panic if you see this - just keep certifying and check your message center regularly for updates.

Update: I kept certifying as everyone suggested, and after 2 weeks I got a message in my account saying I was approved for EB! The payment just hit my account this morning. Thanks everyone for the advice!