How long does it take to draw unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor?
I just got laid off from my warehouse job last Friday and need to know how long the whole process takes from filing to actually getting paid. My landlord is already asking about next month's rent and I'm getting stressed. I heard it can take forever with NYS Department of Labor but hoping someone here has recent experience. Do I need to wait for some approval or does the money start coming right away? Also not sure if I should file today or wait until Monday since I technically worked part of last week.
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Aisha Ali
The timeline depends on several factors but here's the general process: You can file your initial claim immediately - don't wait. NYS Department of Labor processes most claims within 1-2 weeks if there are no issues. However, your first payment won't come until after your waiting week is served. So realistically, you're looking at 2-3 weeks from filing to first payment if everything goes smoothly. Make sure you have all your employment info ready when you file.
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Mateo Gonzalez
•Thanks! What do you mean by waiting week? Is that something extra I have to do or just time that passes?
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Ethan Moore
File ASAP! I made the mistake of waiting and it just delayed everything. The waiting week is your first week after filing - you don't get paid for that week but you still have to certify. After that, if your claim is approved, you'll get payments for subsequent weeks. The key is making sure you don't have any red flags that trigger adjudication because that can add weeks or even months to the process.
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Yuki Nakamura
•What kind of red flags cause adjudication issues? I got fired and I'm worried they might contest it.
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Ethan Moore
•If you were fired for misconduct, quit voluntarily, or there are questions about your work availability, that can trigger adjudication. But getting laid off should be straightforward.
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StarSurfer
ugh the whole system is so slow!! I filed 3 weeks ago and still waiting for my first payment. keep getting told my claim is in adjudication but no one can tell me why or how long it will take. tried calling the NYS Department of Labor line like 50 times and either get disconnected or told to wait more
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Aisha Ali
•That's really frustrating. If you need to speak with someone at NYS Department of Labor urgently, you might want to try using Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get through to agents when the phone lines are jammed. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. I used it when I was stuck in adjudication limbo and finally got answers about my claim status.
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StarSurfer
•never heard of that before but might be worth trying at this point. anything is better than sitting on hold for hours
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Carmen Reyes
same boat here, got laid off two weeks ago and filed immediately. got my determination letter saying I was approved but still haven't seen any money in my account. the waiting week thing is confusing - do I get paid for that week eventually or is it just lost money?
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Ethan Moore
•The waiting week is just unpaid, you don't get it back later. It's basically NYS Department of Labor's way of making sure you're actually unemployed and not just filing claims randomly.
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Andre Moreau
For most people it's about 2-3 weeks total if there are no complications. Week 1 is filing and waiting for determination, Week 2 is your unpaid waiting week where you still need to certify weekly, Week 3 is when you should see your first payment if everything is approved. The important thing is to keep certifying every week even if you haven't been paid yet, and make sure you're doing your job search requirements from day one.
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Zoe Christodoulou
just wanted to say good luck! being unemployed is stressful enough without worrying about when the money will come. hope your claim goes through quickly
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