How long does it take to get my unemployment benefits approved by NYS Department of Labor?
I just filed my initial claim with NYS Department of Labor last Wednesday and I'm wondering how long it typically takes to get approved and start receiving payments? I lost my job two weeks ago when my company had layoffs and I really need to know what to expect timing-wise. My claim status just says 'pending' right now and I haven't heard anything back yet. Should I be worried that it's taking this long already? I have bills due next week and I'm starting to panic a bit. Has anyone recently gone through this process and can tell me what the normal timeframe is?
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Chloe Taylor
The standard processing time for NYS Department of Labor is typically 2-3 weeks from when you file your initial claim to when you receive your first payment, assuming there are no issues that require adjudication. Since you filed last Wednesday, you're still well within the normal timeframe. Make sure you're filing your weekly claims even while your initial claim is pending - that's really important for getting paid for all eligible weeks.
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Omar Zaki
•Thank you! I didn't realize I should be filing weekly claims already. I thought I had to wait until my initial claim was approved first. Should I go ahead and file for this week?
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Diego Flores
mine took exactly 3 weeks but that was back in october, not sure if things have changed since then
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Anastasia Ivanova
If your claim goes into adjudication for any reason, it can take significantly longer - sometimes 4-6 weeks or more. Common reasons include if there's any question about why you left your job, if you have wages from multiple states, or if there's missing information in your application. You can check your claim status online through the my.ny.gov portal to see if any additional documentation is needed.
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Omar Zaki
•I checked my account this morning and it still just says pending with no requests for additional info. Hopefully that's a good sign that it won't go to adjudication.
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Sean Murphy
THE SYSTEM IS SO SLOW AND THEY DONT CARE ABOUT PEOPLE WHO NEED MONEY! I waited 5 weeks last year and when I finally got through to someone they said my claim had been sitting there the whole time with no one even looking at it. Its ridiculous how they treat people who are already struggling!!!
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StarStrider
I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor on the phone when my claim was taking longer than expected. Someone here mentioned Claimyr (claimyr.com) which helps you get through to an actual agent. I watched their demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI and decided to try it when I was at week 4 with no updates. Got connected to an agent the same day and found out my claim just needed one small piece of verification. Might be worth looking into if you end up waiting much longer.
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Omar Zaki
•That's really helpful to know about, thank you! I'll definitely keep that in mind if I don't hear anything by next week.
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Zara Malik
You should also make sure you're completing your job search requirements even before your first payment. I think you need to do 3 job search activities per week but double check that on the NYS Department of Labor website.
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Chloe Taylor
•Good point! The job search requirement is usually 3 work search activities per week, and you need to keep a log of them. You can do this through the state job search website or track them manually.
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Luca Marino
I'm going through the same thing right now!! Filed 2 weeks ago and still pending. It's so stressful not knowing when the money will come. Did you get laid off or were you fired? I'm worried because I was technically terminated but it was just because our whole department got eliminated.
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Omar Zaki
•I was laid off due to company downsizing, so hopefully that won't cause any issues. Your situation sounds like it should be fine too since it was department elimination, not performance related.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
I went through this process about 6 months ago and it took exactly 18 days from filing to receiving my first payment. The key thing that helped speed mine up was making sure I had all my employment documentation ready - like pay stubs from the last 6 weeks and my termination letter. Also, definitely start filing your weekly claims now even though your initial claim is pending! I made that mistake and it delayed my payments by an extra week. The online system updates usually happen overnight, so check your status first thing in the morning rather than throughout the day.
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