NY unemployment benefit rate reconsideration taking forever after submitting docs in August

I went through something similar last year. Took them exactly 4 months to adjust my rate. The system is completely overwhelmed and understaffed. Best advice I can give is document everything, keep claiming your weekly benefits, and unfortunately... just wait. They did eventually pay me the difference for all those weeks retroactively, so at least you'll get the money eventually.

After trying to call for weeks with no luck, I found this service called Claimyr that got me past the phone queue. It's the best money I've ever spent to finally get my benefits paid correctly. They basically stay on hold for you and then call you when they get a real person. I finally got someone who fixed my rate issue within days talking to an agent. Check out their youtube video: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

My reconsideration took 5 months 😠 The whole thing is rigged to make people give up. I had to email my state rep to finally get it fixed. Try reaching out to your local assemblymember - sometimes they can light a fire under NYSDOL.

Look at this comprehensive guide for dealing with benefit rate reconsiderations in New York unemployment: First, understand that reconsiderations are taking 3-6 months right now due to backlogs. It's frustrating but somewhat normal. While you wait, here are some steps you can take: 1) Make sure you uploaded ALL required documents - missing even one paystub can delay the whole process 2) Send a follow-up message through your online account every 2-3 weeks (creates a paper trail) 3) Call early in the morning (7:30am) or late afternoon (4:30pm) for better chances of getting through 4) If it's been over 3 months, contact your state representative or assemblymember 5) Continue certifying weekly at your current rate - when approved, you'll receive retroactive payments 6) Use claimyr.com to get through to an agent if you're desperate (they wait on hold so you don't have to) I went through this last year and eventually got my rate adjusted from $275 to $504. The system is overwhelmed but persistence pays off. Good luck!

lmaooo welcome to ny unemployment... where everything takes 10x longer than they say. I submitted my reconsideration in February and didn't hear back until JULY. The system is a joke.

Their backlog is insane right now. My friend works for NYSDOL and said they're still processing reconsiderations from 6 months ago. If you need money faster, you need to get someone on the phone who can escalate your case.

They told me 6-8 weeks when I submitted my docs but it took 14 weeks for mine to be reconsidered 🙄 The key is to actually talk to a live person. Once I got through to someone, they were able to push it through in a few days.

Honestly, I think they're purposely slow with reconsiderations hoping people will just give up or find jobs before they have to pay the higher amount. KEEP FOLLOWING UP! Don't let them win.

Check if you submitted to the right department. I made the mistake of just uploading to my regular portal, but there's a specific reconsideration unit that needs to get it. You might wanna double-check where your docs went.

im so tired of these games ny unemployment plays. took FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS for my reconsideration. when i finally got through to someone they said "oh we see your documents right here, just nobody processed them yet" like wtf??? 😡😡😡

Pro tip: if you're in NYC, reach out to your city council member's office. My rate reconsideration was stuck for months, then my council member's office reached out on my behalf and it was fixed in 10 days. They have special contacts at NYSDOL.

Ugh this is so frustrating but unfortunately totally normal right now. I'm in the exact same boat - submitted my reconsideration docs in September and still waiting. The worst part is knowing they have everything they need but just... aren't processing it. I've been documenting every attempt to contact them and sending follow-up messages through the portal every few weeks just to create a paper trail. One thing that helped me was finding out you can sometimes get through if you call the Spanish line and explain you need English help - they've been more responsive for some reason. Also seconding what others said about contacting your local representatives. I'm planning to reach out to mine next week if I don't hear anything soon. This whole system feels designed to make us give up but we can't let them win! Keep pushing and definitely keep certifying every week so you get that backpay when it finally goes through.