How do I know if I got approved for unemployment through NYS Department of Labor?
I submitted my initial unemployment claim about 10 days ago but I'm not sure what to look for to know if it's been approved. My my.ny.gov account shows my claim but doesn't really say 'approved' anywhere obvious. I've been doing the weekly certifications just in case but haven't received any money yet. What exactly should I be checking for to confirm my claim status? Are there specific notifications or changes in the portal that indicate approval?
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Philip Cowan
Check your 'Monetary Determination' letter in your online account - that's the official approval document from NYS Department of Labor. You should also see your weekly benefit amount listed and your claim balance. If you see dollar amounts and no pending issues, you're likely approved.
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Kara Yoshida
•Thanks! I do see some dollar amounts in there. Does the first payment usually take longer than the weekly ones after that?
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Caesar Grant
mine took like 2 weeks to get the first payment even after approval, the system is just slow sometimes
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Lena Schultz
You'll receive a formal determination letter either through your online account or by mail. This letter will state your weekly benefit amount, your base period wages, and any conditions of your claim. If there are no outstanding issues listed under 'Claim Status' and you have a weekly benefit amount showing, you're approved. The first payment typically arrives 2-3 business days after your first valid weekly certification.
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Gemma Andrews
•What if it says 'adjudication in progress'? I've been waiting 3 weeks and still showing that status with no way to contact anyone at NYS Department of Labor.
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Pedro Sawyer
•I had the same issue with getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone - impossible with their call volume. I ended up using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that connects you directly to agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me weeks of trying to get through myself.
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Mae Bennett
Look under Payment History too - that's where you'll see actual deposits. If there's nothing there after 2 weeks of certifying, something might be holding up your claim
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Beatrice Marshall
The NYS Department of Labor portal is confusing honestly. I got approved but it took me forever to figure out where to find the actual confirmation. They really need to make the interface clearer about what each status means!!!
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Alfredo Lugo
I'm going through the same thing right now! Just filed last week and the waiting is nerve-wracking. From what I've read here and elsewhere, the key things to look for are: 1) A weekly benefit amount showing up (not $0), 2) No "pending issues" or red flags in your claim status, and 3) The monetary determination letter that should appear in your documents section. The first payment delay seems pretty normal from what everyone's saying - the state system just takes time to process everything. Keep doing those weekly certifications though, that's important even while waiting for approval!
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Eduardo Silva
•This is really helpful, thank you! I'm in a similar boat - filed about a week ago and constantly refreshing my account to see if anything changes. The waiting is definitely stressful when you're depending on that income. Good to know that doing the weekly certifications is important even before getting official approval. Did you end up seeing your weekly benefit amount pretty quickly after filing, or did that take a while to show up too?
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