How long does NYS Department of Labor have to make a decision on my unemployment claim?
I filed my unemployment claim about 6 weeks ago and it's been stuck in adjudication this whole time. I keep checking my account but there's no update on when they'll actually make a decision. My savings are running out and I really need to know if there's some kind of legal deadline for how long NYS Department of Labor can take to decide on a claim. Does anyone know what the actual time limits are? I've been certifying weekly but haven't received any payments yet.
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Lucas Parker
NYS Department of Labor doesn't have a specific statutory deadline for initial claim decisions, but they're supposed to make determinations within a 'reasonable time.' In practice, most straightforward claims get decided within 3-4 weeks. Adjudication cases can take 6-8 weeks or longer if they need to investigate employment separation issues or verify information with your former employer.
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Katherine Hunter
•That's really frustrating. Is there anything I can do to speed this up or at least find out what's causing the delay?
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Donna Cline
ugh same boat here, been waiting 7 weeks now and still nothing. i tried calling but gave up after being on hold for 3 hours twice
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Harper Collins
•If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone, I had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - it's a service that helps you get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Worth trying if you need to check on your adjudication status.
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Kelsey Hawkins
The worst part is they can take forever to decide but if YOU miss a weekly certification deadline by even one day, they penalize you immediately. The system is so unfair.
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Lucas Parker
•You're right that the timing feels unbalanced. Keep certifying weekly even during adjudication - if your claim gets approved, you'll receive back payments for all eligible weeks you certified for.
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Dylan Fisher
When I went through this last year, my adjudication took almost 10 weeks because they had to verify some employment dates with my previous employer who was slow to respond. Once everything was cleared up, I got all my back payments in about a week. Just hang in there and keep documenting your job search activities.
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Katherine Hunter
•Did you ever find out specifically what was holding up your case, or did it just suddenly get resolved?
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Dylan Fisher
•I finally got through to someone who told me my former employer hadn't responded to their inquiry about my separation reason. Once the employer finally replied, my claim was approved within days.
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