How long does it take for NYS Department of Labor unemployment to approve you?

The initial approval process with NYS Department of Labor typically takes 2-4 weeks, but it can vary depending on your specific situation. Since you mentioned being laid off due to budget cuts, that's usually a clear case for approval. Make sure you check your my.ny.gov account regularly for any requests for additional documentation. Sometimes they need pay stubs or employer verification which can delay things.

took mine like 3 weeks last year but my friend got approved in 10 days so it really depends

If you're getting anxious about reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor, I had luck using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I was stuck trying to call for weeks and this got me connected in like 20 minutes. Might be worth checking out if you need to speak to someone directly about your claim status.

The NYS Department of Labor system is so slow right now!! I've been waiting 3 weeks for my approval and every time I call they just say to wait longer. It's ridiculous that they can't give you a straight answer about timing.

Just want to clarify something important - even if your initial claim is still pending, you should start filing your weekly claims as soon as you're able to. You can file weekly claims even before your initial application is fully processed. This ensures you don't lose any benefit weeks while waiting for approval. The weekly claims will just sit there until your main claim gets approved, then they'll process all the back weeks.