How long does it take for unemployment to be approved through NYS Department of Labor?
I submitted my initial unemployment claim through the NYS Department of Labor website about 10 days ago and I'm still waiting to hear back. My claim status just says 'under review' and I haven't received any correspondence yet. I'm getting really anxious because I need to know if I'll have income coming in soon. For those who have been through this process recently, how long did it take from when you first filed until you actually got approved and started receiving benefits? I've been laid off from my retail job and this is my first time filing for unemployment so I don't know what's normal.
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StarSurfer
The standard processing time for NYS Department of Labor unemployment claims is typically 2-3 weeks if there are no issues with your application. Since you filed 10 days ago, you're still within the normal timeframe. Make sure you're filing your weekly claims even while waiting for approval - you can do this through the my.ny.gov portal. Also check that you've completed all required steps like the work search requirements orientation.
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Dmitry Petrov
•Thanks! I did start filing weekly claims last week. Should I be worried that I haven't gotten any emails or letters yet?
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StarSurfer
•No emails is actually normal at this stage. NYS Department of Labor usually only sends correspondence if they need additional information or if there's an issue with your claim.
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Ava Martinez
mine took forever!!! like 5 weeks before i heard anything and then they needed more info about why i got laid off. the whole process was a nightmare
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Miguel Castro
•Oh no, that sounds terrible! Did they eventually approve you though? I'm worried mine will take that long too since I really need the money for rent.
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Zainab Abdulrahman
If your claim goes into adjudication, it can take much longer - sometimes 4-6 weeks. This happens when there are questions about your separation from employment or eligibility. You can check your claim status online, but honestly the NYS Department of Labor phone system is usually too busy to get through. I had success using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent when my claim was stuck. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really saved me weeks of waiting.
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Connor Byrne
•Interesting, never heard of that service before. How much does something like that cost?
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Zainab Abdulrahman
•It was worth it for me - much better than spending hours trying to call and getting hung up on. The peace of mind alone was valuable when I needed answers about my claim status.
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Yara Elias
I got approved in exactly 14 days last month. Make sure you have all your employment info correct on the application because any discrepancies can cause delays. Also if you worked for multiple employers in the past 18 months, that can slow things down while they verify everything.
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QuantumQuasar
been waiting 3 weeks now and getting stressed about it too. this system is so slow compared to other states
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Ava Martinez
•Right?! My cousin in another state got approved in like 5 days. NYS Department of Labor really needs to get their act together.
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Geoff Richards
I'm in a similar situation - filed my claim about 2 weeks ago and still showing "under review" status. From what I've been reading online, it seems like the NYS Department of Labor is really backed up right now. I called their customer service line multiple times but can never get through. Has anyone had luck reaching them by phone recently? Also wondering if there are certain times of day that are better to call. This waiting period is really stressful when you're counting on those benefits to pay bills.
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