How do I know if my NYS Department of Labor unemployment claim was denied?
I submitted my unemployment application about 2 weeks ago and I'm getting really confused about what's happening with it. My account shows some kind of status but I honestly can't tell if it means I was approved or denied. There's no clear message saying YES or NO anywhere that I can find. I've been doing the weekly claims just in case, but I haven't received any payments yet. Should there be some kind of official letter or email telling me definitively if I was denied? What exactly should I be looking for in my account to know for sure?
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Chloe Boulanger
You should receive a 'Monetary Benefit Determination' letter from NYS Department of Labor within 2-3 weeks of filing. This tells you if you're eligible and your weekly benefit amount. If denied, you'll get a separate 'Notice of Disqualification' that explains exactly why. Check your account under 'Correspondence' or 'Documents' - sometimes they post there before mailing.
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Noah Ali
•I checked and there's nothing in my correspondence section yet. Does that mean they're still processing it or could it mean I was denied?
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James Martinez
if your still able to file weekly claims thats usually a good sign that your not outright denied. when i got denied a few years back they blocked me from filing completely
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Olivia Harris
Look for these specific statuses in your online account: 'Approved' means you're good to go. 'Pending' or 'Under Review' means they're still deciding. 'Disqualified' or 'Ineligible' means denied. Also check if there's an 'Effective Date' listed - that's when your benefits would start if approved. No effective date usually indicates a problem.
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Alexander Zeus
•What if it just says 'filed' as the status? I've been stuck on that for like 3 weeks now and I'm starting to panic.
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Alicia Stern
The NYS Department of Labor system is absolutely terrible at communicating claim status clearly. I had to call 50+ times before getting through to find out I was denied for 'insufficient work history' even though I worked full-time for 18 months. The website just said 'processing' the whole time! They really need to fix this communication nightmare.
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Gabriel Graham
•Ugh same experience here. The online system is so confusing and calling is impossible most days.
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Drake
I was in the exact same situation last month and couldn't get through on the phone for weeks. Someone told me about this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually gets you connected to a real NYS Department of Labor agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I used it and found out my claim was stuck because they needed additional wage verification. Saved me tons of time and stress.
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Noah Ali
•That sounds really helpful! I'm definitely going to check that out if I can't figure this out soon.
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Gabriel Graham
you should get something in the mail too not just online. check your mailbox everyday the next week or so
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Natasha Kuznetsova
I went through this same confusion earlier this year! In addition to what others mentioned, you can also try logging into your NY.gov account and looking under "My Online Services" - sometimes the determination letters show up there first before being mailed. Also, if you're able to certify for weekly benefits and haven't been blocked from the system, that's usually a positive sign. The 2-week timeframe is still pretty normal for processing, especially if they need to verify employment with your previous employer. Keep doing those weekly certifications even if you haven't gotten a clear answer yet - you don't want to miss any potential back pay if you do get approved!
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Fernanda Marquez
•Thanks for mentioning the NY.gov account - I never thought to check there! I've just been looking at the regular unemployment portal. That's a good point about continuing the weekly certifications too, I was worried I might be doing something wrong by filing them without knowing my status for sure.
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StarSurfer
Another thing to check - if you can see a "Weekly Benefit Amount" listed anywhere in your account (even if it says $0), that usually means your claim went through initial processing. Also, make sure you didn't miss any requests for additional documentation. Sometimes they'll send a message asking for pay stubs or separation paperwork and if you don't respond within 10 days, it can hold up your claim indefinitely. The fact that you can still file weekly claims is definitely encouraging though - when claims are outright rejected, they typically block you from filing at all.
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William Schwarz
•That's really helpful about the Weekly Benefit Amount - I'll look for that! I haven't seen any requests for additional documentation yet, but now I'm worried I might have missed something. Where exactly would those requests show up? Would it be in the same correspondence section that was mentioned earlier, or somewhere else in the account? I want to make sure I'm checking all the right places so I don't accidentally miss anything important.
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