How to contact NY unemployment office directly instead of vaccine hotline?

yep same thing happened to me last week!!! the phone system is completely messed up right now. i tried calling at 8am, 12pm, and 4pm and got the stupid vaccine message everytime. someone needs to fix this asap

There's actually a technical issue with the NYSDOL phone system that started around April 5th, 2025. The department is aware of it, but they haven't provided an ETA for the fix. In the meantime, you have a few options: 1. Try using the secure message feature in your NY.gov account (under 'Messages') 2. Call exactly at 8:00 AM when the system first opens 3. Use the callback feature on their website (though it's been overloaded lately) The vaccine hotline redirect happens when their queue is completely full, which is unfortunately happening almost immediately after they open right now.

I had this exact problem too!! So annoying. I ended up just going in person to the unemployment office in my area (I'm in Buffalo). Had to wait like 3 hours but at least I got to talk to an actual human being. If you have an office near you that might be worth trying?

After dealing with this same issue for TWO WEEKS, I finally used Claimyr.com to get through to a real person at NY unemployment. It's a service that basically connects you directly with an agent and bypasses all the phone system nonsense. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE I was super skeptical at first, but I was desperate after my benefit payments stopped with no explanation. Got connected to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of being redirected to the vaccine hotline for the 50th time. The agent was able to fix my claim issue on the spot.

I work with a community organization that assists people with unemployment issues. The phone system problem is affecting thousands of New Yorkers right now. Here's what I recommend: 1. Document every attempt to contact them (dates, times, results) 2. Send a message through your NY.gov account with your claim number and specific issue 3. Contact your state representative's office - they often have direct channels to NYSDOL 4. If your issue is urgent (no payments for 3+ weeks), consider the third-party services others have mentioned The good news is that once you do connect with someone, they can usually resolve backpay issues and get your claim moving again. Stay persistent!

The NYSDOL phone system is COMPLETELY BROKEN and they KNOW IT!!! This is happening because they laid off half their call center staff in January 2025 after the budget cuts. My cousin works for the state (not unemployment) and said they're not planning to fix it until the new fiscal year in JULY!!!! They're DELIBERATELY making it hard to get help so fewer people collect benefits. I've been trying for 5 WEEKS to get someone on the phone about my appeal!!!

have u tried calling from a different phone? my cell kept getting the vaccine thing but when i used my moms landline it worked fine. might be worth trying

My sister had this same problem last month and she ended up emailing unemployment.questions@labor.ny.gov with her claim number in the subject line. She got a callback within 3 days. Maybe try that too?

UPDATE: I wanted to share what finally worked for me in case someone else has this problem. I tried everything suggested here: 1. The secure message in my account - got no response after 4 days 2. Calling at 8am sharp - still got the vaccine hotline 3. Emailing unemployment.questions@labor.ny.gov - no response after 3 days I finally used Claimyr that someone mentioned above and got through to an agent in about 30 minutes. The agent was able to fix my claim (there was a verification flag on it that shouldn't have been there) and my payments should resume this week. Thanks everyone for your help! The whole system is definitely broken right now, but at least I got my issue resolved.