How long does determination status take for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor?
Filed my initial claim about 2.5 weeks ago and it's been stuck on 'determination pending' status this whole time. My account shows I need to keep filing weekly claims but obviously I'm not getting any payments until this gets resolved. I've been checking my.ny.gov every day but there's no change. Called the NYS Department of Labor hotline multiple times but keep getting the busy signal or disconnected after waiting on hold for an hour. Is this normal? How long should I expect to wait for a determination? I'm starting to panic about my bills.
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Kara Yoshida
Determination status usually means they're reviewing your eligibility - could be verifying employment history, wages, or reason for separation. In my experience it typically takes 2-4 weeks but can go longer if they need additional documentation from you or your former employer. Keep filing your weekly claims even though you're not getting paid yet, those weeks will be backdated if approved.
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Mateusius Townsend
•Thanks, that's somewhat reassuring. Do you know if there's a way to check what specifically they're reviewing? My account doesn't show any requests for documents or anything.
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Philip Cowan
took me 6 weeks last year!!! kept calling and calling, finally got through to someone who said my former employer hadn't responded to their request for info. once they got the response it was approved within a few days. the waiting is the worst part
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Mateusius Townsend
•Six weeks?! That's terrifying. Did you eventually get all the back payments for those weeks you filed?
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Philip Cowan
•yes got all the back pay once approved, but those 6 weeks with no income were brutal
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Caesar Grant
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone, I had success using Claimyr recently. It's a service that helps you get through to actual agents - there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI and the site is claimyr.com. I was stuck in determination status for 3 weeks and couldn't get through on my own. Used Claimyr and got connected to an agent who was able to tell me exactly what was holding up my claim. Turned out they needed verification of my last day worked.
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Mateusius Townsend
•Never heard of that service before. Is it legitimate? I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point.
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Caesar Grant
•Yeah it's legit, just helps you navigate the phone system to reach a real person. The agent I spoke with was definitely a real NYS Department of Labor employee and had access to my claim details.
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Lena Schultz
The determination process is so frustrating! They have 30 days to make a decision but often take longer. In your case, since it's been 2.5 weeks, you're still within the normal timeframe unfortunately. The fact that you don't see any document requests is actually a good sign - means they probably have everything they need and are just processing. Keep filing those weekly claims no matter what!
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Gemma Andrews
same boat here, filed 3 weeks ago and still pending determination. this system is broken, takes forever to get help and even longer to get answers. meanwhile rent is due and bills keep coming
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Pedro Sawyer
•Hang in there, I know it's stressful but most claims do get approved eventually. Just keep documenting everything and filing weekly.
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