How long does unemployment take to process in NYS - still waiting after 2 weeks
Filed my initial unemployment claim through my.ny.gov two weeks ago and still haven't heard anything back from NYS Department of Labor. My account just shows 'pending' and I can't tell if this is normal or if something went wrong. I lost my job at a restaurant in Albany and really need to know how long this whole process takes because rent is due next week. Should I be worried that it's taking this long? When do people usually start getting their first payment?
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Carmen Diaz
The initial processing time can vary but typically takes 2-4 weeks for NYS Department of Labor to review your claim. During this period they're verifying your employment history and wages with your former employer. You should receive a determination letter in the mail once they've made a decision. Make sure you're still filing your weekly claims even while waiting for the initial approval.
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Yuki Tanaka
•I haven't been filing weekly claims because I thought I had to wait for approval first. Did I mess up?
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Andre Laurent
took me 3 weeks last year but my friend got hers in 10 days so it really depends
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AstroAce
You should absolutely be filing your weekly claims! Go to my.ny.gov right now and file for both weeks you've missed. NYS Department of Labor requires you to file weekly claims starting the week you become unemployed, not when you get approved. If you don't file those back weeks you could lose those benefit payments entirely.
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Yuki Tanaka
•Oh no! I'm logging in right now to file those missed weeks. Thank you for telling me this.
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Zoe Kyriakidou
I'm in the same boat - filed 3 weeks ago and still nothing! This is so stressful when you have bills to pay. The NYS Department of Labor phone lines are impossible to get through to and they never respond to messages. How are we supposed to find out what's happening with our claims?
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Jamal Brown
•I had this exact problem last month and couldn't reach anyone at NYS Department of Labor for weeks. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that explains how it works. Within two days of using it I was able to speak to someone who told me my claim was stuck because they needed additional wage verification from an old employer.
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Mei Zhang
The whole system is a nightmare honestly. They make you jump through hoops and then leave you hanging for weeks without any explanation. I've been fighting with NYS Department of Labor for over a month about my claim and still don't have answers.
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Liam McConnell
Just wanted to say hang in there - mine took almost 4 weeks but once it got approved everything moved quickly after that. Make sure you keep filing those weekly claims and checking your mail for any correspondence from NYS Department of Labor.
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