How to get through unemployment - NYS Department of Labor claim process taking forever
I've been trying to navigate this whole unemployment system for weeks now and I'm completely lost. Filed my initial claim with NYS Department of Labor but everything seems to take forever. My weekly claims keep saying 'pending' and I can't figure out what I'm supposed to be doing for the job search requirements. The my.ny.gov website is confusing and every time I call I get disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. How do people actually get through this process? I'm running out of savings and need to know if there's something I'm missing or if this is just how slow everything moves.
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
The NYS Department of Labor system can definitely be overwhelming at first. A few key things that helped me get through it: make sure you're certifying your weekly claims every Sunday, keep detailed records of your job search activities (you need at least 3 work search activities per week), and if your claim shows 'pending' for more than a week, there might be an adjudication issue that needs to be resolved. Have you received any correspondence from NYS Department of Labor about additional documentation they might need?
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Giovanni Colombo
•I've been doing the weekly claims but haven't gotten any letters or emails about documentation. How do I know if there's an adjudication issue? The online account doesn't really explain what's happening.
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Dylan Cooper
Honestly the key is just persistence and staying organized. I created a spreadsheet to track everything - weekly claim dates, job applications, work search activities, any correspondence. For the job search part you need to log into the NY job search website and record your activities there too, not just keep your own records. The system is slow but it does work eventually if you stay on top of everything.
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Sofia Ramirez
•Wait, there's a separate website for job search activities? I thought I just had to keep my own records. Can you share the link?
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Dmitry Volkov
ugh this system is SO broken. I've been waiting 6 weeks for my adjudication to clear and nobody can tell me what the hold up is. Called probably 50 times and either get disconnected or they tell me to just keep waiting. Meanwhile bills are piling up and I'm supposed to just sit here and hope they eventually decide to pay me what I'm owed.
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
•I totally understand the frustration. If you've been waiting that long for adjudication, you might want to try reaching out through your state assembly member's office - they sometimes have more success getting responses from NYS Department of Labor than individual claimants do.
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StarSeeker
I was struggling with the same thing until someone told me about Claimyr. It's this service that helps you get through to NYS Department of Labor agents on the phone. I was skeptical at first but I was desperate after weeks of getting nowhere. They have this video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Basically they handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when an agent picks up. Used it twice now and both times I actually got to talk to someone who could explain what was happening with my claim.
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Giovanni Colombo
•That sounds too good to be true. How much does something like that cost? And is it legit?
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StarSeeker
•Check out claimyr.com for all the details. It's definitely legit - they don't ask for your personal info or login credentials or anything sketchy like that. For me it was worth it just to finally get answers about why my claim was stuck.
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Ava Martinez
same boat here, been pending for 3 weeks now
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Miguel Ortiz
The whole thing reminds me of when I was on unemployment back in 2019, except it was way easier then. Now with all the online stuff and new requirements it's like they made it deliberately complicated. I spent hours trying to figure out the work search logging system alone. But once you get the hang of it, it becomes more routine. Just wish they would make the process clearer from the start instead of making everyone figure it out through trial and error.
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