NY unemployment agent hung up after 3 hour wait - alternatives to reach NYSDOL?

same thing happened to me TWICE last month. system is broken beyond belief. try calling right when they open at 8am, slightly better chance.

There are a few things you can try: 1. Call exactly at 7:58am - their system sometimes starts accepting calls 2 minutes early 2. Email them through your NY.gov account - include your claim ID and a clear description of your issue 3. Contact your state representative's office - they often have direct lines to unemployment offices 4. Check if there are any in-person career centers open near you Pending for 5 weeks usually means there's an identity verification or eligibility issue they need to resolve. Did you get any letters or messages in your online account?

I was in the exact same boat last month, pending for 6 weeks and couldn't reach anyone. What worked for me was using Claimyr - it's a service that basically calls for you and gets you connected to an agent when they answer. Saved me hours of waiting. Their video shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE and their site is claimyr.com. The agent I got was able to push through my verification and I got paid within days.

omg I know how u feel!!! i was on hold forEVER yesterday too but my phone died at the 2 hour mark and I literally cried. my claim has been pending for almost 2 months nowww

Former NYSDOL employee here. The wage verification backlog is significant right now because they switched to a new verification system in March 2025. When you upload documents, you need to also click the "Document Verification Submitted" button on the dashboard, or it stays in a different queue. Many people miss this step. Also, your pending status might actually be due to an employer protest that you're not aware of. This happens in about 30% of claims that get stuck in pending.

Everyone here is wasting your time. The ONLY way to get anything fixed with NY unemployment is to physically go to a career center and refuse to leave until someone helps you. I spent 2 months trying phone/email/online and got NOWHERE. Went in person and had my claim fixed in 30 minutes. They WANT you to give up.

UPDATE: I clicked that verification button the former employee mentioned, and I just got an email saying my claim is being processed! I still need to get through to an agent to find out when I'll actually get paid, but at least something is happening finally. Going to try the 7:58am trick tomorrow morning. Thanks everyone for your help!

I was in the same situation back in February. Waited on hold for 2+ hours multiple days and couldn't get through. I started sending an email every single day (same exact email) until someone responded. Took 12 days of daily emails but finally got a response and my issue was fixed. Sometimes persistence is the only way with NY unemployment. Also, if you haven't already, file a complaint with your state senator's office - they have staff dedicated to unemployment issues.

Just wanted to check back - were you able to get through with the early morning calling trick? If not, seriously consider Claimyr. I know someone mentioned being skeptical, but when you're about to miss rent it's worth it. I remember being so frustrated I couldn't sleep at night before I finally got through.

anybody know if they're still doing those extra $300 supplemental payments? my friend said he got one but i haven't seen anything about it on the website

FINAL UPDATE: My payment finally came through today! What worked was: 1) Clicking that verification button the former employee mentioned, and 2) I did end up using the Claimyr service yesterday which got me through to someone who could tell me exactly when to expect payment. Thanks everyone for your help - this community saved me so much stress!