Don't give up! NY unemployment initially denied me claiming I had no earnings but I fought back and won
Just want to share my experience with the NY unemployment system from the last month. After getting laid off, I received this ridiculous letter claiming I wasn't eligible for benefits because - according to them - I didn't have any earnings after May 15th. Complete nonsense! I knew this was wrong since I'd been working consistently at the same company for over 2 years. The denial letter said I could appeal, which looked like a huge hassle with all these forms and waiting periods. Instead, I decided to file a completely new claim. Had to call in to finish it, which was frustrating. First agent was useless - kept saying "the system doesn't show your employment history" without even trying to help. I hung up and called again, but this time specifically asked for a level 2 specialist right away. This guy seemed more helpful and told me having two claims was causing problems. He promised to remove the first claim from the system... but guess what? He never did it. Called a third time and demanded a level 3 specialist. FINALLY someone who actually knew what they were doing! She was super apologetic and actually listened to me. I showed her the denial letter and she told me NOT to appeal because she could fix everything right there. Just got a new letter yesterday saying I'm approved with my correct weekly benefit amount! Bottom line: if you know the info they have is wrong, don't just accept a denial. Keep pushing until you talk to someone competent who can actually help you.
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Fatima Al-Hashimi
Omg the same thing happened to me lsat month! They claimed I had no earnings after April even tho I'd been at the same job for 3 years before layoffs. The appeal process looked like such a nightmare I almost gave up. I'm definitely gonna try filing a new claim now and ask for a level 3 specialist like you did 👍
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Giovanni Conti
•Definitely ask for level 3! Don't settle for anyone lower or you'll just waste your time. The first two ppl I talked to were completely useless
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NeonNova
•How long did it take to get the new determination letter after the level 3 fixed it?
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Giovanni Conti
•Only about 4 days which shocked me. I was expecting to wait another 2-3 weeks tbh
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Dylan Campbell
After weeks of trying to get through on the phone with no luck, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real live agent within an hour. Best money I've ever spent because it let me skip that endless busy signal hell. The agent fixed all my issues and my payments started flowing the next week! They also have this helpful video that explains how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE
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Sofia Hernandez
•yeah right, another 'miracle solution'... what's the catch? 🙄
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Dylan Campbell
•No catch - it just automates the calling and waiting on hold part. You still talk to the same NY unemployment agents, but you don't have to waste your whole day redialing. My claim was stuck for 3 weeks before I used it.
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
•hmm I've been burned by so many of these 'services' before... what makes this different?
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Dylan Campbell
•It's not like those scammy "we'll fix your claim" services. This just handles the phone waiting. When an agent picks up, they connect you directly. Talking to a real person finally got my claim moving after being stuck forever.
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Ava Thompson
•wait hold up - does this actually work or is it just the usual BS?
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Miguel Ramos
•I used it last week and it worked. Was skeptical too but I was desperate after 30+ tries calling myself. Got a callback in about 45 mins with an actual agent on the line. Worth every penny since my claim had been frozen for a month.
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Zainab Ibrahim
THIS is why the NY unemployment system is such garbage. They literally hope people will just give up and not fight when they make "mistakes" (which always happen to be in their favor 🤔). Glad you got it sorted but it shouldn't take 3 different specialists to fix something so basic!
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StarSailor
What exactly does a "level 3 specialist" even mean? I've called so many times and never heard anyone refer to different levels. Is this like a secret menu at In-N-Out where you have to know the special terms? 😂
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Connor O'Brien
•Lmaoooo secret menu unemployment. "I'd like one claim with extra benefits, animal style plz" 🍔
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Giovanni Conti
•Honestly I think I just made up the term but it worked! Just kept saying I needed someone higher up who could actually fix problems in the system. The first people you talk to have almost no authority to do anything useful.
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StarSailor
•Ima try this. Been stuck on pending for 2 months and every time I call I get nowhere. Gonna ask for that level 3 secret sauce 💯
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Yara Sabbagh
I've worked with the ny unemployment system before (not anymore thankfully), and here's what you need to know about these "levels": The first people who answer are basically just call screeners with very limited system access. They follow scripts and can basically only read what's on your account. The "level 2" folks (what we called Tier 2) can actually make some changes but usually only to straightforward cases. The people who can REALLY help (supervisors or specialized units) are what OP probably meant by "level 3" - these people have the authorization to override system issues, fix eligibility problems, and actually solve complex cases. The system is deliberately set up with these barriers to make it harder for people to get benefits they deserve. Always politely but FIRMLY ask to be transferred to someone with higher authority if your issue isn't being solved. And if calling is impossible, I've heard good things about claimyr.com from several people who used it to bypass the phone nightmare. Good luck everyone - the system is broken but you CAN get what you're entitled to with persistence.
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Keisha Johnson
•This is super helpful info, thanks for sharing. I'm on week 6 of waiting for my claim to process and now I know to ask for those higher level agents.
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Paolo Rizzo
•Is there any specific language to use when asking for a supervisor? Every time I try they tell me "a supervisor will call you back" which NEVER happens
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Yara Sabbagh
•Say something like "I understand you're trying to help, but my situation requires someone with system override authority. I've been dealing with this for [X weeks] and need this resolved today. I'm happy to hold while you transfer me to a supervisor." Be polite but don't accept no.
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QuantumQuest
I gave up after getting denied... now I feel like an idiot 😭
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Amina Sy
•It's not too late! You typically have like 30 days to address a denial. Call them ASAP!
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QuantumQuest
•It's been like 2 months... am I screwed?
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Oliver Fischer
•You can still request a late appeal by explaining the circumstances. Or like OP did, try filing a new claim entirely. Don't give up!
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Natasha Petrova
The entire ny unemployment department needs to be investigated. They consistently "lose" earnings data that would qualify people, then make it impossible to reach anyone to fix it. It's not incompetence, it's BY DESIGN.
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Javier Morales
•💯💯💯 they hoping people just give up and go away
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Emma Davis
•My cousin works in a different state's unemployment office and says they're told to process denials faster than approvals. The whole system is rigged.
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GalaxyGlider
Am I the only one who can't even get through on the phone AT ALL? Been calling for 3 weeks and either get busy signals or the automated system hangs up on me after saying they're too busy. How are y'all even talking to humans??
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Malik Robinson
•Try calling right when they open at 8am. I had to redial like 37 times but eventually got through.
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Dylan Campbell
•I had the same problem until I tried claimyr.com - they kept dialing and got me connected to an agent. Was totally worth it because I was going insane hitting redial for weeks.
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GalaxyGlider
•Thanks! I'll check it out cuz I'm about to lose my mind with this phone situation
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Isabella Silva
Not all heroes wear capes. You're a real one for sharing this advice! 🙌
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Ravi Choudhury
I swear they do this on purpose. My husband had the EXACT same issue two winters ago. The amount of hoops you have to jump through is insane, and they know most people will just give up.
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Giovanni Conti
•That's exactly what they want - for us to give up. Not happening!
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Freya Andersen
Anyone know if we're supposed to certify weekly while waiting for these issues to be resolved? I'm in a similar situation but wasn't sure if I should keep certifying while my claim is "under review" or whatever...
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Omar Farouk
•YES! Always keep certifying! Even if your claim is messed up, you should certify every week you're eligible. If they fix it later, you'll get backpay for those weeks, but only if you certified!
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Freya Andersen
•Omg thank you! Been so confused about this 🙏
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CosmicCadet
Quick question - how long were you working before being laid off? I'm worried because I only worked for 6 months before losing my job and wonder if that's why they're giving me the runaround.
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Giovanni Conti
•I was at the same job for just over 2 years. But in NY you should qualify with 6 months as long as you earned enough in your base period. Don't let them tell you otherwise!
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Chloe Harris
wait so did you have to send in pay stubs or anything to prove your employment? or did the level 3 person just fix it in their system?
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Giovanni Conti
•The level 3 person could actually see all my wage data in their system, it was just being ignored or filtered out somehow in the first claim. She fixed it without me needing to provide anything extra.
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Amaya Watson
This is exactly what I needed to hear right now! I'm dealing with a similar situation where they're saying I don't have enough qualifying wages even though I know I do. I've been going back and forth with the regular agents for weeks and getting nowhere. Definitely going to try your approach and specifically ask for someone with higher authority who can actually look at the system properly. Thanks for not giving up and sharing your experience - gives me hope that I can get this sorted out too!
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