How long does it take for pending issues unemployment to get resolved through NYS Department of Labor?
My unemployment claim has been stuck with pending issues for almost 6 weeks now and I'm starting to panic. The my.ny.gov portal just shows 'pending issues' under my claim status but doesn't give any details about what the actual problem is. I've tried calling the NYS Department of Labor multiple times but either get disconnected or told they can't give me specifics over the phone. Has anyone else dealt with this? How long does it usually take for them to clear up these pending issues? I'm behind on rent and really need to know if there's anything I can do to speed this up.
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Ravi Kapoor
Pending issues can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks depending on what triggered the review. Common reasons include employer protests, wage verification problems, or job separation issues that need investigation. The NYS Department of Labor has to contact your former employer and sometimes schedule phone interviews. You should receive correspondence in your online account or by mail explaining what information they need from you.
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CosmicVoyager
•I haven't gotten any correspondence yet which is what's so frustrating. Should I be checking somewhere specific in my account for messages?
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Freya Nielsen
ugh same thing happened to me last year, took 7 weeks before they finally approved my claim. turned out my old job disputed it even though I was laid off. the waiting is the worst part because you have no idea what's going on
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Omar Mahmoud
•Did you keep filing your weekly claims during those 7 weeks? I've heard conflicting advice about whether you should continue filing or wait until the pending issue is resolved.
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Freya Nielsen
•yes definitely keep filing! if you don't file weekly you lose those weeks even if your claim gets approved later
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Chloe Harris
I had success getting through to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent using a service called Claimyr. They basically call for you and get you connected to a real person who can look at your specific case. I found out about it at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Cost me way less than the stress I was dealing with trying to get through on my own.
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CosmicVoyager
•Interesting, I hadn't heard of that before. Did they actually tell you what your pending issue was about when you got through?
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Chloe Harris
•Yeah, turned out my employer had filed a protest claiming I quit instead of being laid off. The agent was able to tell me exactly what documentation I needed to send in to dispute it.
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Diego Vargas
This whole system is such a joke! I've been waiting 4 weeks for my 'pending issue' to be resolved and meanwhile I'm supposed to just survive on air? The NYS Department of Labor makes it impossible to get real help and then acts like 6-8 weeks is no big deal. People have bills to pay!
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NeonNinja
•I totally feel your frustration but unfortunately that's just how long their investigation process takes. The good news is if your claim gets approved you'll get back pay for all the weeks you were waiting.
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Anastasia Popov
Keep filing weekly claims no matter what! Also check your correspondence section in the online portal every few days, sometimes messages take a while to show up there.
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Victoria Brown
I went through this exact same situation about 3 months ago and it was incredibly stressful. My pending issue took 5 weeks to resolve and it turned out to be a simple wage verification delay. The key things that helped me: 1) I kept filing my weekly claims religiously even though nothing was happening, 2) I called first thing Monday mornings around 8:05 AM when they opened - had better luck getting through then, and 3) I documented everything including call attempts and times. When I finally got through to someone, they were able to expedite my case because I had all my paperwork ready. Hang in there - the back pay when it comes through will cover all those weeks you're waiting now. The system is frustrating but it does eventually work.
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Ravi Malhotra
•This is really helpful, thank you! I'm glad to hear that 5 weeks is on the shorter side from what others are saying. I'll definitely try calling Monday mornings - I've been calling randomly throughout the week which probably isn't the best strategy. Did you have to provide any additional documentation when you finally got through, or was it mostly just waiting for them to verify things on their end?
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Savannah Weiner
I'm dealing with the same nightmare right now - 4 weeks and counting with "pending issues" status. What's driving me crazy is that I can't get any information about what's actually causing the delay. I've tried the early morning calling strategy that others mentioned but still haven't gotten through to a real person. Has anyone had luck with reaching out to their local assemblyperson's office for help? I've heard they sometimes have direct lines to the Department of Labor that can help push things along. At this point I'm willing to try anything because like the original poster said, rent doesn't wait for bureaucracy to sort itself out.
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Carmen Ruiz
•Yes, contacting your assemblyperson's office can actually be really effective! I did this when I was stuck in a similar situation and they have constituent services staff who deal with state agency issues regularly. They can't guarantee results but they do have direct contacts at the Department of Labor who can at least look into your case and tell you what's causing the delay. You can find your assemblyperson through the NY State Assembly website by entering your zip code. It's worth a shot since you've already been waiting 4 weeks - the worst they can say is no, but in my experience they're usually willing to help with unemployment issues since it's such a common problem their constituents face.
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