How long does unemployment take to approve in NY - still waiting after 2 weeks
Filed my unemployment claim with NYS Department of Labor two weeks ago after getting laid off from my warehouse job. My claim status still shows 'under review' and I haven't received any payments yet. I know I filled everything out correctly and uploaded all my documents. Is this normal? How long does unemployment take to approve typically? I'm getting stressed about my rent payment coming up.
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Talia Klein
Two weeks is actually pretty typical for initial claim processing. NYS Department of Labor usually takes 2-4 weeks for standard claims, longer if there are any issues that need adjudication. Did you receive any correspondence asking for additional information?
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Cedric Chung
•No letters or emails asking for anything else. My account just says 'claim under review' with no other details. Should I be worried?
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Maxwell St. Laurent
mine took 3 weeks last year and that was considered fast!! the system is just slow especially if you filed right after a lot of other people. keep filing your weekly claims even while waiting
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Cedric Chung
•Good to know I'm not the only one. Yes I've been doing my weekly claims every Sunday like they told me to.
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PaulineW
The processing time depends on several factors. Standard claims without complications typically process within 2-3 weeks. However, if your previous employer contests the claim or if there are questions about your separation reason, it could go into adjudication which adds another 2-4 weeks. You can check for any pending issues in your my.ny.gov account under the 'Determination Status' section.
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Cedric Chung
•Just checked and there's nothing in the determination status section. Maybe that's a good sign that there are no issues?
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PaulineW
•That's usually a good sign, yes. If there were separation issues or employer disputes, you'd typically see them listed there.
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Annabel Kimball
I was in the same boat last month - waiting and waiting with no updates. Finally got through to someone at NYS Department of Labor using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They basically call for you and get you connected to an actual agent. Found out my claim was just sitting in a queue and the agent was able to expedite it. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Might be worth trying if you need answers sooner.
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Cedric Chung
•That sounds really helpful! How much does something like that cost?
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Annabel Kimball
•I don't remember the exact cost but it was worth it for me since I couldn't get through on my own after days of trying. The peace of mind was valuable.
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Chris Elmeda
UGH the NYS Department of Labor is SO SLOW! I waited 5 weeks for mine to get approved and they never even told me why it took so long. The whole system is a joke - they expect us to survive on nothing while they take their sweet time processing claims. Keep calling them every day if you can get through!
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Jean Claude
•I feel this so hard. It's like they don't understand that people have bills to pay and can't just wait around indefinitely.
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Charity Cohan
Just wanted to add that you should definitely keep filing your weekly claims even while waiting for approval. If your claim gets approved, they'll backdate the payments to when you first became eligible. Missing weekly claims can cause problems later.
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Cedric Chung
•Thanks for the reminder! I've been doing them every week but wasn't sure if I should continue. Good to know it helps with backdating.
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