How long is the wait for unemployment approval in NY - my claim has been pending 2 weeks
I submitted my unemployment application through the NYS Department of Labor website two weeks ago and I'm still waiting to hear anything back. My claim status just says 'pending' and I haven't received any correspondence about what's happening. I lost my job at a retail store in January and really need to know when I can expect my first payment. Is this normal timing or should I be worried something went wrong with my application? I've been checking my.ny.gov daily but nothing changes.
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Zoe Wang
Two weeks is actually pretty standard for initial processing. The NYS Department of Labor typically takes 2-4 weeks to review new claims, especially if they need to verify employment history. You should receive a monetary determination letter first, then they'll process your weekly claims. Make sure you're filing your weekly certifications even while it's pending - you can't get paid for weeks you don't file.
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Aidan Hudson
•Thanks! I haven't been filing weekly claims because I thought I had to wait for approval first. Should I start filing them now even though my claim is still pending?
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Connor Richards
mine took 3 weeks last year and that was considered fast. just keep checking and make sure you have all your documents ready in case they ask for anything
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Grace Durand
If you're having trouble getting through to check on your claim status, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual NYS Department of Labor agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call and getting busy signals.
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Steven Adams
•How much does something like that cost? I'm already tight on money waiting for my claim to process.
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Grace Durand
•It was worth it for me to get answers instead of waiting in phone queue limbo. The peace of mind knowing my claim was processing correctly was huge.
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Alice Fleming
THE WAIT TIMES ARE RIDICULOUS! I've been waiting 5 weeks and still nothing. The NYS Department of Labor system is completely broken and they don't care about people who actually need help. They'll process fraudulent claims instantly but legitimate ones sit forever.
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Hassan Khoury
•5 weeks seems excessive. Did you call to check if there's an issue with your claim? Sometimes they need additional documentation.
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Victoria Stark
Just wanted to say I'm in the same boat - filed 3 weeks ago and still waiting. At least I know I'm not alone in this. The uncertainty is the worst part.
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AstroAce
I went through this exact same situation last month. My claim took exactly 3 weeks to get approved, which my case worker told me was typical. The key thing is to keep filing your weekly certifications even while it's pending - you can backdate and get paid for those weeks once approved. Also, make sure you're checking both my.ny.gov and your physical mail, because sometimes they send important documents by mail first. If you haven't heard anything by week 4, that's when I'd recommend calling the DOL hotline. Hang in there, the waiting is stressful but most legitimate claims do get processed eventually.
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