How long does it take to review unemployment claim with NYS Department of Labor?

The initial review period can vary quite a bit depending on your specific situation. For straightforward claims with clear separation reasons like layoffs, NYS Department of Labor typically completes the review within 2-3 weeks. However, if there are any complications with your employment history, wage verification issues, or if they need additional documentation from your employer, it can take 4-6 weeks or longer. Since you mentioned company downsizing, that's usually a clear-cut case, so you're probably just in the normal processing queue.

ugh the waiting is the worst part! mine took almost 3 weeks and i was checking every single day. try not to stress too much about it, 10 days really isn't that long in unemployment time lol

I had a similar experience recently and found that calling the NYS Department of Labor directly can sometimes give you more specific information about your claim status. However, getting through their phone lines can be extremely frustrating - I spent hours on hold multiple times. There's actually a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that I discovered that helps you get through to actual NYS Department of Labor agents much faster. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. It was really helpful for checking on my claim status when the online portal wasn't giving me enough detail.

10 days is nothing!! I waited SIX WEEKS for my claim to get approved last year and when I finally got through to someone they said it was just sitting in a pile waiting to be processed. The system is completely overwhelmed and understaffed. Don't expect any kind of reasonable timeline from NYS Department of Labor.

Just wanted to add that while you're waiting, make sure you're keeping track of your job search activities. Even though your claim isn't approved yet, you'll need to show that you've been actively looking for work once benefits start. NYS Department of Labor requires documentation of your job search efforts, so start that log now if you haven't already.

This brings back memories of when I filed in 2019. The whole process felt like being in limbo, especially when you're already stressed about finances. One thing that helped me was setting up direct deposit information early if you haven't already - that way there's no additional delay once your claim is approved. Also make sure your contact information is current because sometimes they do try to reach out by phone for verification.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now - filed my claim 8 days ago and still seeing "under review" status. It's really nerve-wracking when you're already dealing with job loss stress. From what I've been reading online, it seems like the NYS Department of Labor is just really backed up right now. I've been tempted to call but heard the wait times are brutal. At least we're not alone in this! Hoping both our claims get processed soon.

I'm actually a case worker who used to work with unemployment claims (different state though), and I can tell you that 10 days is pretty typical for the initial review phase. The NYS system has to verify your employment history, cross-reference wage records, and sometimes wait for employer responses. Since you filed due to company downsizing, that's actually one of the more straightforward scenarios - no fault determinations or complex separation issues to investigate. The good news is that once it's approved, you should receive back pay for all the weeks you've been waiting. Just keep certifying weekly if that option becomes available, even while it's under review.