How to reach a real person at NY unemployment office - need phone number that works

I've tried calling at 8:00 AM exactly for the past 2 days and still get the 'high call volume' message and disconnected! Do they even have real people working there anymore???

Thanks, I'll try Wednesday. Did you have to do anything special when navigating the menu options?

nope just followed all the prompts. dont try to skip anything or it hangs up on u

sounds like a scam tbh. why would you pay for something thats supposed to be free???

I'm willing to try anything at this point. Going to check out that video. Thanks for the suggestion.

While I understand your frustration, the system isn't deliberately designed to be difficult. They're just perpetually understaffed and overwhelmed. When Covid hit, they never fully recovered from the backlog. Your best bet is still early morning calls and complete persistence.

Thank you for the detailed instructions! I'll try this exact sequence tomorrow morning. Don't have a landline but will make sure I have good cell service when I call.

I sent 2 emails last week and just got automated responses saying they're experiencing high volume and to call the phone number... which I can't get through on! It's a nightmare circle.

This is good advice. While the career centers can't directly process claims, they often have direct lines to the unemployment office. Visit your local NY Career Center (previously called One-Stop Centers) and ask for assistance with contacting unemployment. Bring all your claim documentation with you.

Excellent! Glad to hear you got through. For anyone else reading this thread, early morning on Tuesday-Thursday still seems to be the sweet spot for reaching a representative.

So happy you finally got through! This gives me hope. I've been dealing with a similar issue for 3 weeks now. Going to try the early morning approach again tomorrow using the menu sequence you mentioned. Did they resolve your claim issue completely or do you need to follow up?

Congratulations on getting through! Your persistence really paid off. I've been struggling with the same issue for about 10 days now. Quick question - when you finally got connected to a representative, were they able to resolve everything in that one call or did you need to do any follow-up? I'm worried that even if I get through, they might not be able to fix my pending claim status right away.

That's amazing news! I've been following this thread because I'm in the exact same boat - claim pending for 3 weeks now and can't get through to anyone. Your success story gives me hope that persistence really does pay off. I'm going to try the early morning approach with the menu sequence that @Javier Torres shared. Did the representative mention anything about why claims are taking so long to process lately? I m'curious if it s'a system-wide issue or just bad luck on my end.

This is so encouraging to hear! I've been lurking on this thread for days because I'm dealing with the exact same nightmare - pending claim for almost a month now. Can I ask what specific issue they were able to resolve for you? Was it just a general pending status or something more complex? I'm wondering if I should have all my documentation ready when I finally get through, or if they can handle most issues just with what's already in the system.

Wow, 52 minutes on hold but you got through! That's actually not too bad considering some people wait hours. I'm dealing with the same frustrating situation - my claim has been stuck in pending status for 2 weeks now. I'm definitely going to try that early morning approach tomorrow. Thanks for sharing your success story, it gives the rest of us hope that persistence really does work!

This is such great news! I've been struggling with the same issue for over 3 weeks now and was starting to lose hope. Your persistence really paid off. Quick question - did the representative mention anything about what was causing your claim to be stuck in pending status? I'm wondering if there's a common issue they're seeing that might help others in this thread know what to expect when they finally get through. Also, did they give you any timeline for when your benefits might actually start coming through?

That's fantastic that you finally got through! I'm in a similar situation - my claim has been pending for about 2 weeks and I've been calling every day with no luck. Reading your success story gives me hope that persistence really does work. I'm going to try the early morning approach with the menu sequence that @Javier Torres shared. Did the representative explain what was causing your claim to be stuck, or was it just a general system backlog issue? I m'hoping when I finally get through they can resolve mine quickly too!

That's such a relief to hear you finally got through! I've been trying for over a week now with no luck. I'm curious - when you spoke with the representative, were they able to tell you what was causing the delay in your claim? I'm wondering if it's something specific I should be prepared to address when I finally get connected, or if it's just general system backlog. Also, did your benefits start processing immediately after the call or is there still a waiting period? Thanks for sharing your success - it definitely motivates me to keep trying!

This is brilliant advice! I never thought about contacting my assemblyperson's office. I've been stuck in the same endless cycle of calling the main number with no success for over 2 weeks. It makes perfect sense that their offices would have direct contacts - they probably deal with unemployment issues from constituents all the time. Going to look up my assemblyperson right now and give their office a call tomorrow. Thanks for this tip, it could be a real game-changer for those of us who can't get through the regular channels!

This is such a smart approach that I never would have thought of! I've been banging my head against the wall trying to get through the main unemployment line for almost 3 weeks now. My claim has been stuck in pending status and I'm getting desperate. The idea of contacting my assemblyperson's office makes total sense - they must deal with these kinds of constituent issues regularly and probably have the right connections to actually get things moving. I'm definitely going to try this tomorrow morning. Did you have to provide any specific documentation when you contacted their office, or did they just need your basic claim information?

This is such valuable advice! I've been dealing with the same frustrating situation for over a month now - my claim has been pending forever and I can't get through to anyone at the main number. I never considered reaching out to my assemblyperson's office, but it makes perfect sense that they would have direct connections to help constituents with unemployment issues. I'm definitely going to try this approach. When you contacted your assemblyperson's office, did you call directly or submit something through their website? And did they ask for any specific information about your case upfront? Really appreciate you sharing this alternative route - it gives me hope that there might actually be a way to break through this bureaucratic nightmare!

This is exactly what I needed to hear! I've been trying the regular unemployment number for almost 2 weeks with zero success - just endless automated menus and busy signals. The assemblyperson approach is genius and I can't believe I didn't think of it before. They must get calls about unemployment issues all the time and probably have the right contacts to actually make things happen. I'm going to look up my district representative right now and call first thing tomorrow morning. Did you have to explain your whole situation in detail when you first called their office, or did they just need basic info like your claim number and how long you've been waiting? Really hoping this works because I'm running out of options and my rent is due next week!

This is such a methodical approach - I love that you actually tracked the patterns! I've been calling randomly throughout the day for the past week with no success, but keeping a detailed log makes so much sense. It never occurred to me that there might be specific time windows that work better than others. I'm going to start tracking my calls today and see if I can identify a similar pattern. The tip about hanging up and calling back within 2-3 minutes after getting the "high call volume" message is really helpful too - I've been just accepting that message as a dead end. Thanks for sharing such detailed advice, this gives me a whole new strategy to try!

This tracking method is brilliant! I've been calling sporadically for over 2 weeks and getting nowhere. The idea of actually documenting when I call and what happens never crossed my mind, but it makes perfect sense that there would be patterns. I'm starting my own call log today and will focus on that Tuesday morning window you mentioned. The tip about calling back within 2-3 minutes after the "high call volume" message is gold - I always just gave up when I heard that. Really appreciate you sharing such a systematic approach to this nightmare process!

This is incredibly helpful information! I'm dealing with the same nightmare - my claim has been pending for 3 weeks and I can't get through to anyone. The combination approach of contacting political offices AND tracking call patterns is genius. I had no idea about the system updates in February causing additional delays, that actually explains a lot. The fact that they gave you a priority callback number through the senator's office is huge - that could be a real game changer for those of us stuck in this loop. I'm definitely going to contact both my assemblyperson and senator's offices tomorrow. Quick question - when you say they might ask for employment verification on the spot, do you mean they can actually process document uploads during the phone call, or do they email you a secure link? I want to make sure I'm prepared with everything they might need. Thanks for sharing such detailed and practical advice!

This is such a valuable tip! I had no idea there was a secure messaging option through the NY.gov website. I've been so focused on trying to get through by phone that I completely overlooked this alternative. A 5-day response time sounds amazing compared to the endless phone loops I've been stuck in. I'm going to try this today along with the other strategies mentioned in this thread. It's really encouraging to hear that you got a response from an actual person who could access your file - that gives me hope that there are still real humans working on these cases, even if they're impossible to reach by phone. Thanks for adding another tool to our arsenal for dealing with this bureaucratic nightmare!