NY unemployment benefit rate reconsideration taking forever after submitting docs in August
I applied for unemployment in July after getting let go from my job. When I got my monetary determination, the benefit amount was way lower than I expected - only like $210/week. I know I made more than what they calculated, so I immediately requested a reconsideration and uploaded all my W2s and pay stubs from the last 18 months through their online portal back in August. It's now been over 3 months and I haven't heard anything back. My claim is active and I'm getting paid the lower amount each week, but I really need that higher rate since I'm barely covering rent. I've tried calling at least 30 times but can't get through to anyone. I've also sent messages through the portal but no response. Has anyone gone through this? How long did your reconsideration take? Is there anything I can do to speed this up?
36 comments
Yuki Sato
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.
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Carmen Ruiz
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
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Andre Lefebvre
is this for real? sounds too good to be true honestly
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Carmen Ruiz
Yeah it actually worked. I was skeptical too but I was desperate after being on hold for 4+ hours multiple days. Got a callback in about 2 hours with an actual agent.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
wait hold up - does this actually work or is it just the usual BS? unemployment has me so paranoid about scams now 👀
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Carmen Ruiz
I get the paranoia but yeah it worked. claimyr.com - they don't ask for any personal info except your phone #. They just call the unemployment line and when someone picks up, they connect you.
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Jamal Anderson
hmm I've been burned by so many of these 'services' before... what makes this different? my patience is wearing thin with all these unemployment 'solutions'
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Mei Wong
I can vouch for them too. Used it last month when my payments stopped randomly. They're legit - just a call service that waits on hold instead of you.
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QuantumQuasar
another day, another company promising to fix the unfixable unemployment system lol. But if this actually works I might try it... been trying to reach someone for 3 weeks
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Liam McGuire
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.
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StarStrider
5 months??? omg thats insane. Did they back pay you for all the weeks you were getting the lower amount?
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Liam McGuire
Yes they did backpay the difference. That was the only bright spot in the whole nightmare. But don't wait like I did - contact your rep NOW.
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Amara Eze
this is good advice - my assemblyperson's office got my issue fixed in 2 weeks after I waited for 3 months
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Giovanni Greco
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!
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Fatima Al-Farsi
This is super helpful! Saving this comment 💯
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StarStrider
Thank you so much for this detailed response! I've been certifying every week but I'm going to try calling at those specific times.
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Dylan Wright
I second the claimyr recommendation. Used them last week after not being able to get anyone on the phone for a month.
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Sofia Torres
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.
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GalacticGuardian
Same here! Took 5 months and I had to call like 50 times. NY unemployment is legit in the stone age 🤣
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Dmitry Smirnov
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.
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Ava Rodriguez
How do you even get someone on the phone tho? I've tried calling at every hour of the day and it's always busy
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Miguel Diaz
Try this trick: call exactly at 7:55am, press the options for Spanish even if you don't speak it (they have more agents there), then when someone answers just explain politely you need help. Worked for me.
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Zainab Ahmed
I used claimyr.com after struggling for weeks. They connected me with an agent in about 2 hours. Totally worth it.
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Connor Gallagher
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.
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AstroAlpha
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.
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Yara Khoury
100% this. The system is designed to frustrate people into giving up. Stay on them!
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Keisha Taylor
facts 💯 my cousin works for the state (not unemployment) and says the same thing
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Paolo Longo
THIS!!! I almost gave up after 4 months but finally got through and they owed me like $4000 in back payments from the rate difference
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Amina Bah
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.
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StarStrider
Wait really? Is there a specific email or department? I just uploaded through the document upload section of my online account...
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Amina Bah
Yep that was my mistake too. Call and ask to have your docs forwarded to the Monetary Reconsideration Unit specifically. That's what fixed mine.
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Oliver Becker
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??? 😡😡😡
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CosmicCowboy
SAME EXACT EXPERIENCE! they had my docs the whole time but just never bothered to look at them 🤮
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Natasha Orlova
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.
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Javier Cruz
This is actually great advice. Government offices respond way faster to other government offices than to us peasants lol
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Emma Thompson
yesss! worked for me too when I was waiting for back pay
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