How to speed up a ny unemployment investigation that's gone on for 5 months?

I was in a similar situation for almost 4 months. Most effective thing I did was contact my state senator's office. They have dedicated staff for helping with unemployment issues and can reach people at DOL that we can't. My case was resolved within 10 days after my senator's office intervened.

After 2 months of trying to deal with ny unemployment and getting nowhere, I tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) - it's basically a service that waits on hold with DOL and then calls you when they get a real person. Talking to an agent got my $ unlocked so fast once I could actually reach someone who knew what they were doing. Check out this video too: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - saved my sanity!

the whole ny unemployment system is a joke... they "investigate" forever hoping people will just give up or find work before they have to pay out. I'm in month 6 of my "4-6 week" investigation. only thing that helped was threating to file a complaint with the dept of labor ombudsman office.

Have you tried faxing your documents? I know it sounds crazy but when my claim was stuck, I was told by an agent that faxed documents get processed faster because they go to a different department. I faxed all my ID docs and got everything cleared in 3 weeks after being stuck for months.

Ok so I worked for DOL (not in NY) and here's what you need to know about the "under investigation" status: 1. They're completely overwhelmed with fraud cases right now, which is putting legitimate claims in limbo 2. These investigations typically involve cross-checking your info with other databases (employer wage records, ID verification systems, other states) 3. If you want to expedite: - Contact your state rep/senator (most effective) - Request a formal appeal hearing (this puts you on a legally mandated timeline) - Call and specifically ask for a Tier 2 specialist - regular agents can't help with investigations - Email the Commissioner's office directly (look up their email format) - File a complaint with the DOL Ombudsman office The most effective method I've seen is using claimyr.com to actually get someone knowledgeable on the phone who can look at your specific block codes and fix them. Regular line agents often can't see all the notes or don't have authorization to remove certain holds. Don't give up - you are legally entitled to these benefits if you qualify. Document every call, every person you speak with.

You need to file a complaint with the NY Department of Labor Ombudsman office. Google it. They're specifically there to investigate issues when the regular channels aren't working. Include all dates, who you've talked to, what they've told you. I did this after 3 months of nothing and suddenly my case was "urgent" and fixed in a week.

The thing nobody tells you is that you can request an OFFICIAL DETERMINATION LETTER. By law they have to provide this within a certain timeframe. Even if they're still investigating, this forces them to make a decision one way or another. If they deny you, at least then you can formally appeal, which has a legal timeline they must follow.

sometimes its cause theres a flag on ur account that nobody botherd to remove. happened to me and the system just kept my claim in limbo for 5 months!!! i finally got thru on the phone and the lady was like "oh theres just a verification flag that someone forgot to remove" and fixed it in 2 minutes. all that time wasted 🤬

I might get downvoted for this but sometimes you have to be the squeaky wheel. Call EVERY DAY. Ask for supervisors. Email the commissioner directly. I know people who've gone to their local DOL office in person with all their documents and refused to leave until someone helped them.

It's crazy how many of us are in the same situation. My investigation has been open for 7 months now!!! I'm convinced they just flag random accounts to save money and hope people give up 🙄

I was in your exact situation - payments for 2 months then suddenly "under investigation" for half a year. What finally worked for me was filing a formal complaint with the state Attorney General's office. They have a whole division for DOL issues now and they got my claim fixed in 3 weeks after MONTHS of nothing.

Contact your local legal aid society asap - most have free unemployment assistance. They know exactly how to cut through the red tape because they deal with this stuff every day. They helped me draft a letter that got my case prioritized.

Have you checked if there was identity theft involved? Sometimes these long investigations happen because someone else tried to claim benefits using your info in another state. I found out this happened to me after 4 months of waiting - someone had filed in my name in California (I'm in NY). Once I filed a police report and identity theft affidavit, my claim got resolved.

this is why I gave up on NY unemployment and just started doordashing. the system is broken and they don't care about us. spent 4 months trying to get my money and got nothing but excuses.

You need to email these specific people at DOL (this is what finally worked for me after 5 months of nothing): nysdol@labor.ny.gov AND labor.sm.ui.fraud@labor.ny.gov In the subject line put "URGENT: Claim Under Investigation [YOUR CLAIM ID] - [YOUR FULL NAME]" In the email be super specific about dates, who you've talked to, what they said. Attach copies of any documents you've already provided (ID, work separation notice, etc). I got a call back within 48 hours after trying EVERYTHING else for months.

Had the EXACT same issue last year. What finally worked: I printed out all my documentation, went to my local DOL office IN PERSON, and refused to leave until someone helped me. They initially said they couldn't help with UI issues but I politely insisted and eventually a manager came out and made some calls. Got my payments 3 days later after being stuck for 4 months.

anyone try calling the fraud department directly? someone on another forum said thats the secret backdoor to getting these investigations resolved faster, since most of the holds are related to fraud prevention

I spent 4 months trying to call NY unemployment with no luck. Finally used claimyr.com and they got me connected to an agent who found out my claim was stuck because they sent an employer verification letter to the wrong address! She fixed it during the call and I got all my backpay within a week. Talking to an actual agent was the ONLY thing that worked.

You said you contacted your assemblyman, but did you also try your STATE SENATOR? They often have more pull with DOL. Also, were you very specific in your request? You need to give them your full name, DOB, last 4 of SSN, claim ID, and exactly when the issue started + what you've done to resolve it.

Write a formal hardship letter. Send it certified mail to NYSDOL Commissioner's Office. Include documentation of financial hardship (eviction notice, utility shutoff, bank statements showing $0, etc). By law they have to prioritize hardship cases. My cousin works at DOL and told me this is what actually gets claims expedited internally.