How long does adjudication take for unemployment NYS Department of Labor - 5 weeks and counting
Filed my claim back in early December and it's been stuck in adjudication status ever since. The NYS Department of Labor website just says 'pending adjudication' with no timeline or explanation. I've tried calling but either get disconnected or told they can't give me an estimate. My savings are running out and I'm starting to panic. Has anyone else experienced adjudication delays this long? What's the typical timeframe for NYS Department of Labor to make a decision?
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Hugo Kass
Adjudication timelines vary significantly depending on the complexity of your case. Simple issues like employment verification might resolve in 2-3 weeks, but more complex situations involving potential misconduct or separation disputes can take 6-8 weeks or longer. The NYS Department of Labor is required to make a determination, but they don't publish official timeframes. During adjudication, continue filing your weekly claims to preserve your claim dates.
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Simon White
•I've been filing weekly but worried I'm doing something wrong since it's taking so long. Do you know if there's any way to check what specific issue they're investigating?
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Nasira Ibanez
mine took 7 weeks last year, turned out they were waiting for my former employer to respond to some questionnaire. never got any notification about what was holding it up until it was suddenly approved
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Khalil Urso
•7 weeks?? That's insane. Did you eventually get backpay for all those weeks you were waiting?
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Nasira Ibanez
•yeah got backpay for everything once approved, but the wait was brutal financially
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Myles Regis
If you're struggling to reach NYS Department of Labor by phone, I had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) when I was stuck in a similar adjudication limbo. They help you get through to an actual agent who can sometimes provide more specific information about your case status. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I was able to find out my employer had submitted conflicting information, which explained the delay.
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Simon White
•Never heard of that service but at this point I'm willing to try anything. The regular phone lines are completely useless.
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Brian Downey
The NYS Department of Labor adjudication process is deliberately slow and frustrating. They hope you'll give up or find other work before they have to pay out. I waited 9 weeks for them to decide my former employer's bogus misconduct claim was invalid. Meanwhile bills pile up and you're left hanging.
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Jacinda Yu
•That's awful but unfortunately sounds about right. The whole system seems designed to discourage legitimate claims.
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Charlotte White
I'm currently going through something similar - filed in mid-January and still in adjudication after 4 weeks. From what I've researched, NYS DOL is required to make determinations within a "reasonable time" but there's no specific legal deadline. The key thing is to keep filing your weekly certifications even during adjudication - if you're eventually approved, you'll get backpay for all eligible weeks. I've also heard that contacting your local state assembly member's office can sometimes help escalate cases that have been pending unusually long. They have constituent services that can make inquiries on your behalf to the Department of Labor.
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