Is there any direct number for NY unemployment where a real human actually answers?

Welcome to the NY unemployment hellscape, where no human has ever answered a phone 🤡 I've called over 50 times myself last month. Their system is designed to frustrate you into giving up.

After dealing with the same issue last month, I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually calls and waits on hold FOR you, then connects you once they get a real person. Talking to an agent got my money unlocked so fast after weeks of nothing. They have a video explaining how it works too: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

There's no direct number that always works. The best strategy ive found is to call exacty at 8:00am when they open and choose option 2, then 1, then 3 when prompted. Still a mess but slightly better odds.

I finally got through by calling my state assembly person. Their office has special contacts at unemployment and they helped push my claim through after I'd been trying for a month. Try looking up who represents your district and email their office explaining your situation.

Have you tried the 888-209-8124 number? That's their main line, but if you call between 7:55-8:05am and press 1, then 3, then 2, then wait for the language options and press 9 (even though it's not offered), sometimes it puts you in a different queue. Worked for me after literally hundreds of failed calls.

I'm actually a former NY unemployment temp worker (quit bc it was so dysfunctional). Here's what I know: The direct lines agents use are never given to the public. There are about 1/3 as many agents as needed. Your best bet is to use something that automates the calling and holding process like claimyr.com - several of my colleagues mentioned people using it successfully. Only other option is to keep trying the main line different times of day. Wednesdays seem less busy for some reason.

Spent 3 months in this nightmare myself. The ONLY thing that worked was having multiple phones call simultaneously at exactly 8:00:00 am. Had my wife, brother, and myself all calling on different phones. One of us would eventually get through after about 5-7 days of trying this method. Its ridiculous we have to do this but the system is completely broken.

Have u tried DMing them on Twitter? Surprisingly I got a response there after weeks of nothing on phone. They asked for my info and helped sort it out.

not a direct answer to your q but make sure your claim denial reason is actually valid. I got denied saying I didn't earn enough in base period but they were looking at the wrong quarters. Had to appeal and then they found I was eligible all along. Such a broken system

Try this email: nysdolissues@labor.ny.gov - it worked for me when no calls were getting through. Include your name, last 4 of SSN, and phone number in the email with a clear explanation of your problem. I got a call back within 48 hours.

Honestly? After 6 weeks of trying everything, I used claimyr.com and it was worth every penny. Got connected to a real agent within 2 hours and they fixed everything wrong with my claim. I was at my breaking point before that.

If your claim says you didn't earn enough but you know you did, you NEED to talk to someone. I had the EXACT same issue and it turned out they had my employer's quarterly report missing. Once I got through and explained, they fixed it right away and I got backpay for everything. KEEP TRYING!

This whole thing reminds me of when I tried getting concert tickets back in the day. Site would crash, phone lines busy. The unemployment system is stuck in 1995 while trying to handle 2023 problems.