Lost job after 12 years, been claiming NY unemployment for months with no response - can't reach anyone!

Try waking up at 7:55am and start calling them right at 8am when they open. Thats how I finally got through after weeks of trying. Keep redialing if it hangs up. I had to call 47 times in one morning but eventually got through.

After dealing with the same nightmare for weeks, I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) - saved my sanity! They basically wait on hold for you and call when a real person picks up. Talking to an agent got my benefits flowing again after months of radio silence. Worth every penny since I got all my backpay in one shot after the call. They also have this helpful explainer video: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

The NY unemployment system is totally broken. I was in the exact same boat - worked 9 years at my company, let go in reorg, filed in April and didn't get paid until August. What finally worked for me was finding my local state assembly person and having their office intervene. Google your district rep and call them - they have special channels.

Try sending an email to your local assemblyperson or state senator. I did that after two months of nothing and suddenly my claim started moving. They have direct contacts at the unemployment office.

Check if theres any issues with your claim that might be causing the delay. Common problems include: employer contesting the termination, identity verification issues, missing documents, or answering a certification question wrong. Any of these can put your claim in limbo without them telling you.

Honestly, after 2 months of trying everything, I broke down and used claimyr.com to get through to someone. Had a real person on the phone in under 2 hrs after trying for weeks with no luck. Found out my former employer was disputing my claim (thanks a lot) and got it resolved in one call. Sometimes you gotta bite the bullet.

If your boss fired you, make sure you're answering the certification questions correctly. If you say you were fired instead of laid off, they might be investigating for misconduct which takes forever. Also double check that your employment dates match what your employer reported.

Here's what worked for me with NY unemployment after being stuck for months: 1) Call right when they open at 8am, but try the LESS known number (1-888-209-8124) instead of the main line 2) If that doesn't work, file a formal complaint through the NYS DOL website about not receiving benefits 3) Contact your state assembly person AND state senator (do both!) 4) If all else fails, use a service like claimyr.com - it's the only thing that got me through after 3 months of nothing. They wait on hold and call you when a real agent picks up. 5) Once you get someone, be super nice but VERY specific about how long you've been waiting and what you've tried. Ask them to escalate if needed. 6) Request backpay for all weeks during the call - make sure they process it while you're on the phone. The system is overwhelmed but persistence pays off! Good luck!

i gave up on calling and went to the actual unemployment office in person. had to wait 3 hours but at least got to talk to someone face to face who could help. try that if ur in the city

Check your spam folder!!!! I was waiting 4 months and turns out they sent me an email asking for additional documentation that went to spam. Once I provided it, got paid in 2 weeks.

After tryng to reach NY unemployment for weeks with no luck, a friend told me about Claimyr and it was a game-changer. They waited on hold for me (took about 90 mins) then called when they got someone. The agent fixed my claim in 15 minutes and I got all my backpay the next week. Just go to claimyr.com - cannot recommend enough!

u might have answered one of the weekly certification questions wrong. they never tell u when u do this, just put ur claim on hold forever. common mistakes: saying ur not ready to work, saying u turned down a job, or reporting even a tiny bit of income incorrectly. one wrong answer = purgatory

The labor department is still catching up from the Covid backlog. Some claims are taking 4-6 months to process. It's absolutely ridiculous but unfortunately normal these days.

not falling for another unemployment 'hack'... these never work

KEEP CALLING!!! It took me 437 calls over 3 weeks but I finally got through. The system is designed to wear you down so you'll give up. Don't let them win!!

Did you check if your identity has been verified in the system? A lot of claims are stuck in ID verification hell right now. If you log in and see a message about ID verification, you need to upload documents through ID.me or their system.

Make sure youre not accidentally locked out of your account. I thought I was logged in correctly for WEEKS but turns out my account was locked and thats why my claim wasnt moving. Had to call to unlock it.