Got a monetary determination from NY unemployment but still waiting for payments - what's next?

Monetary determination just means they've calculated what you WOULD get based on your work history. It's not an approval. You're still in the pending phase where they're making sure you're eligible. Could be identity verification, employment verification, or just the usual backlog. Keep claiming each week though!

After trying to call for WEEKS and getting nowhere, I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They basically call unemployment for you, wait on hold, then connect you when they get a real person. Got through in about 35 minutes and the agent fixed my pending issue right away. Best money I ever spent considering I was about to lose my apartment waiting for these payments. They have a video explaining how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

I got my monetary determination like 6 weeks before any actual payments showed up. The system is backed up like crazy. You need to keep certifying every week even if nothing's happening. When it finally went through, I got all the backpay at once.

KEEP CALLING THEM! I was stuck in pending for over a month and it turned out there was a flag on my account that needed to be cleared manually by a rep. They don't tell you about these things! You have to talk to someone.

Here's what's probably happening: Your monetary determination means they've established your benefit rate based on your earnings. BUT there's probably an eligibility issue they're investigating. Common reasons for delay include: - They're verifying why you left your job (especially with 'restructuring' they might be confirming with your employer) - Identity verification issues - Wage verification with previous employer - Random audit (they do these) - System backlog (very common) What you need to do: 1. Keep certifying every week no matter what 2. Check your online account for any messages or action items 3. Check your mail/email constantly for correspondence 4. Try to get through to a human (nearly impossible through normal phone lines) Honestly, the fastest way to resolve it is getting a real person on the phone. I wasted 3 months trying before using claimyr.com to connect with an agent. The agent found the issue in 5 minutes and released all my payments. Whatever was holding up my claim wasn't something I could fix online.

having the same EXACT issue. got my monetary determination 3 weeks ago showing $504/week but nothing has been paid. status just says pending. this is my first time on unemployment and its a total nightmare.

Monetary determination ≠ approval. It just means they've calculated your potential benefit amount based on your earnings history. Your claim is still being processed. Could be weeks or months before payment, tbh. The system is trash.

Call your state representative's office!!! I was stuck in pending hell for 5 weeks, called my assemblyman's office, and they have special contacts at unemployment. They escalated my case and I got paid within a week after that.

Check your spam folder in email too!!! I missed an identity verification request that got filtered to spam and it delayed my claim by 2 months. They're terrible about communication.

not a single person has mentioned this but DOL is dealing with a TON of fraud right now so they're super slow processing legitimate claims. the 'pending' status might just be part of their anti-fraud measures. keep certifying and eventually you'll get paid all at once with backpay.

I hate to say this but its almost impossible to fix these issues without talking to someone. I spent 3 months trying to figure out why mine was pending. Finally got through to them (used claimyr.com after seeing it recommended here) and turns out there was a simple flag on my account they fixed in 30 seconds. Got all my backpay 2 days later.

monetary determination just means u qualify for benefits based on past wages. it doesnt mean ur claim is approved. there could be all kinds of reason ur still pending - separation issue, identity verification, random audit. u gotta keep certifying each week tho so when it does go through, u get paid for all those weeks

I had the EXACT same situation back in February. Got my monetary determination showing $402/week but sat in pending for 7 weeks. Turned out they had flagged my account for 'employer verification' but never told me! Only found out when I finally got through to a rep who cleared it immediately. Such a broken system.

Nobody has mentioned this yet but try MESSAGING them through your online account! Sometimes that works better than calling. Go to your account, look for the messaging option, and send a detailed explanation of your issue. I got a response in 3 days when I tried this.

the real answer: ny unemployment is completely FUBAR and the only way to fix problems is by talking to a human. good luck with that though since their phone lines are designed to prevent you from reaching anyone 🤡 welcome to bureaucratic hell

I went through the exact same thing last year! Got my monetary determination showing $445/week but then sat in pending for almost 6 weeks. It was driving me crazy because like you, I couldn't get through on the phone no matter what I tried. What finally worked for me was sending a detailed message through the secure messaging system in my online account. I explained my situation, included my claim number, and asked specifically what was holding up my payments. Got a response in about 4 days saying there was an "employer separation verification" flag that they cleared manually. My backpay showed up 2 days after that. Definitely try the messaging option if you haven't already - sometimes it's faster than the phone nightmare. Keep certifying every week though, you'll get paid for all those weeks once it goes through!

I'm in almost the exact same boat! Filed in early January after being laid off, got my monetary determination about 2 weeks ago showing $421/week, but I'm still stuck in pending status with no payments. I've been certifying weekly like clockwork but nothing's happening. Reading through all these responses is both reassuring and terrifying - sounds like this could drag on for months! I'm definitely going to try the secure messaging approach that a few people mentioned since calling seems hopeless. Also might reach out to my assemblyperson's office like someone suggested. Has anyone had luck with the state senator's office too or is assemblyperson the better route? The stress of not knowing when (or if) the money will come is honestly worse than being unemployed itself. At least I know I'm not alone in this nightmare!

I'm dealing with this exact situation right now! Filed in mid-January after being laid off from my marketing job, got my monetary determination showing $389/week about 10 days ago, but I'm still stuck in pending status with zero payments. I've been religiously certifying every week but my account just keeps saying "pending" with no explanation. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both helpful and terrifying - it sounds like this could go on for weeks or even months! I had no idea the monetary determination was just them calculating what I'd potentially get, not actual approval. I'm definitely going to try the secure messaging approach that several people have mentioned since the phone situation seems completely hopeless. Also planning to contact my assemblyperson's office since that seemed to work for some folks here. The financial stress of not knowing when (or if) these payments will actually come through is honestly worse than being unemployed itself. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - at least I know I'm not going crazy and this is just how broken the system is right now!

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! Filed 3 weeks ago after getting laid off, received my monetary determination showing $445/week but I'm still stuck in pending with zero payments. Like everyone else here, I've tried calling dozens of times with no luck - just busy signals and automatic disconnects. After reading through all these responses, I'm going to try the secure messaging route through my online account today. Several people have had success with that approach, and it seems way more realistic than trying to get through on the phone. I'm also going to look up my assemblyperson's contact info and give their office a call. The most frustrating part is not knowing what's actually holding things up or how long this could drag on. At least now I understand that the monetary determination is just them calculating potential benefits, not actual approval. I had no idea there could be all these hidden flags and verification issues that they don't even tell you about! Going to keep certifying every week no matter what - sounds like when it finally goes through we get all the backpay. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences, it's oddly comforting to know this is just how broken the system is and I'm not doing something wrong!

I'm in almost the exact same situation and reading all these responses is both reassuring and stressful at the same time! Filed about 3 weeks ago after getting laid off from my office job, got my monetary determination last week showing $412/week, but I'm still stuck in pending hell with zero payments coming through. I've been certifying every week religiously but my account just keeps showing "pending" with no explanation whatsoever. Like everyone else here, I've tried calling probably 40+ times over the past two weeks - it's either an immediate busy signal, automated hangup, or that infuriating "call volume too high" message. The phone system seems deliberately designed to prevent you from reaching a human being! After reading through all these experiences, I'm definitely going to try the secure messaging approach through my online account today - seems like several people have had success with that route. Also going to look up my assemblyperson's contact info and give their office a call since that worked for some folks here. The worst part is not knowing what's actually causing the delay or how long this could drag on. I had no idea the monetary determination was just them calculating potential benefits rather than actual approval. Now I'm worried there's some hidden flag or verification issue they haven't even told me about. Thanks to everyone for sharing your stories - at least I know this is just how broken the system is right now and I'm not going crazy! Going to keep certifying no matter what since it sounds like we'll get backpay for all those weeks once it finally goes through.

I'm dealing with the exact same frustrating situation! Filed about 4 weeks ago after being laid off from my accounting position due to company downsizing, received my monetary determination 2 weeks ago showing $398/week, but I'm completely stuck in pending status with zero payments. Like everyone else here, I've been certifying weekly without fail and have tried calling literally hundreds of times - nothing but busy signals, hangups, and that maddening "call volume too high" message. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly eye-opening. I had no idea that the monetary determination was just them calculating what I'd potentially receive, not actual approval! Now I'm realizing there could be all sorts of hidden verification issues or flags on my account that they haven't even bothered to tell me about. Based on everyone's experiences here, I'm going to try multiple approaches: sending a detailed message through the secure messaging system in my online account, contacting my assemblyperson's office on Monday, and maybe even looking into that Claimyr service that several people have mentioned having success with. The financial stress of bills piling up while stuck in this bureaucratic nightmare is honestly overwhelming. Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories - it's both comforting and terrifying to know this is just how broken the NY unemployment system is right now. At least I know I'm not alone and that I need to keep certifying every week to get that backpay when this mess finally gets resolved!

I'm going through the exact same situation right now! Filed 3 weeks ago after being laid off from my marketing job due to "organizational restructuring" and I'm stuck in the same pending nightmare. Got my monetary determination about 10 days ago showing $467/week but haven't seen a single payment despite certifying religiously every week. Like everyone else here, I've tried calling countless times - just busy signals, hangups, or that automated "call volume too high" message. Reading through all these experiences has been both helpful and stressful! I had no idea the monetary determination was just them calculating potential benefits rather than actual approval. Now I'm worried there's some hidden verification flag they haven't told me about, especially since my layoff was due to "restructuring" - sounds like they might be verifying that with my former employer. Based on everyone's advice here, I'm going to try the secure messaging approach through my online account today and also contact my assemblyperson's office on Monday. The financial stress of bills piling up while stuck in this bureaucratic limbo is honestly brutal when you're already dealing with unemployment stress. Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories - it's oddly comforting to know this is just how broken the NY system is right now and I'm not going crazy! Will definitely keep certifying every week so I can get that backpay when this mess finally gets resolved.