NY unemployment backpay finally unlocked after 'invalidating' new claim - might take 10 weeks

Yes, this is actually standard procedure when there's an overlap between claim periods. The system can't process payments from two different benefit years simultaneously, so they have to temporarily invalidate the newer claim to release backpay from the previous benefit year. The 10-week estimate is unfortunately pretty accurate in my experience working with clients. The DOL has to treat the reinstated claim as a brand new application once they put it back in the system. Make sure you continue certifying weekly during that waiting period even though you won't see payments right away.

OMG I had the EXACT same thing happen but mine took 12 weeks not 10!! The system is so messed up. They make everything so complicated when it should be simple. Why cant they just process both claims???

This happened to me too. The specialist had to do this weird workaround because the system doesn't handle overlapping benefit years correctly. My timeline was a bit different though: - Day 1: Specialist invalidated new claim - Day 3: Backpay started processing - Day 5: Received all backpay funds - Week 2: Specialist reinstated new claim - Week 9: New claim finally processed So it took 7 weeks after reinstatement, not the full 10 they warned about. But definitely keep certifying every week during the wait! I almost missed a week thinking it didn't matter since the claim was processing.

After dealing with countless NY unemployment claim issues, I can tell you the 10-week estimate is them covering themselves. The actual processing time varies greatly depending on your specific situation. Factors that affect processing time: 1. Whether you had wages with multiple employers 2. If any employer contests your claim 3. Current DOL workload (which fluctuates seasonally) 4. Whether additional verification is needed I've seen reinstated claims process in as little as 3 weeks when everything is straightforward. But complex cases with multiple employers or contestations can indeed take the full 10 weeks or longer.

I was stuck in the exact same situation last month! Kept calling the unemployment office daily but could never get through to ask about my backpay. I finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for weeks on my own. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE The agent did exactly what yours did - had to invalidate my new claim to release the backpay. My backpay came through in 4 days, and then they reinstated my new claim. It's been 7 weeks now and my new claim is still processing, but at least I got the backpay amount which was much larger.

Wait im confused, if they invalidate your new claim does that mean you wont get paid for those weeks at all? or do they just pause it? im in a similar situation but afraid to call because i dont want to lose any benefits im entitled to.

just fyi my cousin works for the DOL and she says if u call on tuesday mornings right when they open you get thru way faster. worked for me.

Quick update on timing for anyone finding this thread later - my situation was similar to the original poster. It actually took exactly 8 weeks from when they reinstated my claim until I started receiving payments. They did eventually backdate everything correctly, so I got paid for all eligible weeks since the original filing date. One important tip: document EVERYTHING. Write down the name of every representative you speak with, the date/time, and what they told you. I created a simple spreadsheet that ended up being extremely helpful when there was confusion about what had been promised.

Just to clarify something important: during this whole process of invalidation and reinstatement, you MUST continue to certify for benefits every week as if nothing changed. Even though you won't see payments immediately, the system is still recording your certifications and will pay you retroactively once the claim is fully processed. If you miss certifying for any week thinking "why bother, my claim is on hold anyway," you will not receive payment for that week when everything is finally processed.

@profile4 - Yes, it's confusing because what the specialist does on their end doesn't always reflect correctly in your online account right away. If you can't access the system to certify while your claim shows as invalid, you should call and speak to a representative who can take your certification by phone. Make sure to explain your situation so they understand why you're certifying by phone. Alternatively, once your claim is reinstated, you can request backdated certifications for any weeks you missed due to access issues. There's a specific form for this on the NY DOL website.