How long does it take for NYS Department of Labor unemployment to process my claim?
I submitted my initial unemployment application through the NYS Department of Labor website about 10 days ago and I'm getting anxious about when I'll hear back. My previous job ended unexpectedly when the company downsized, and I really need to know what to expect for timing. The website just says 'processing' but doesn't give any real timeline. I've been checking my account daily but nothing has changed. For those who have been through this recently - how long did it actually take from when you first applied until you got your first payment? I'm trying to budget and plan but have no idea if this takes weeks or months.
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The Boss
From my experience and what I've seen others post, initial processing typically takes 2-4 weeks if there are no complications with your claim. The NYS Department of Labor has to verify your employment history and wages, which involves contacting your former employer. If everything checks out cleanly, you should hear back within that timeframe. However, if there are any questions about your separation from work or eligibility issues, it could go into adjudication which adds several more weeks.
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Mia Roberts
•That's reassuring, thank you. What kind of things typically cause it to go into adjudication? I was laid off due to company restructuring so I'm hoping that's straightforward.
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Evan Kalinowski
mine took forever!!! like 6 weeks before i got approved and another week for first payment. the worst part is you cant really talk to anyone to find out whats happening
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Victoria Charity
•Six weeks is on the longer side but not unheard of, especially if your employer was slow to respond to the NYS Department of Labor's verification requests. The key thing is to keep filing your weekly claims even while the initial claim is processing, otherwise you'll lose those weeks of benefits.
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Jasmine Quinn
I had a similar situation last year and got so frustrated trying to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor. After three weeks of calling and getting nowhere, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to a real person. They have this video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that explains how it works. Turned out there was a simple verification issue that got resolved once I could actually speak to an agent. Might be worth checking out if you hit roadblocks.
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Mia Roberts
•Interesting, I've never heard of that. How much does something like that cost?
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Jasmine Quinn
•I didn't want to spend money either but honestly it was worth it just to get answers. Way less stressful than calling hundreds of times yourself.
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Oscar Murphy
The NYS Department of Labor system is completely broken. They'll tell you 2-3 weeks but that's total BS. I know people who waited 2+ months just for an initial determination. And don't even get me started on trying to reach them by phone - it's designed to frustrate you into giving up.
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Nora Bennett
•I feel your pain but some people do get processed quickly. My cousin got approved in 12 days last month. I think it really depends on your specific situation and how busy they are.
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Ryan Andre
Just keep filing your weekly claims while you wait! That's super important. Even if your initial claim is still processing, you need to certify each week or you'll lose those benefits permanently. I made that mistake early on and lost 3 weeks of payments.
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