NY unemployment claim stuck on pending for months with $0 benefit - agent says I'm not eligible

That's unfortunately pretty common with the NY system. When they say you're not eligible, they should send you a determination letter explaining exactly why. Did you receive any physical mail or messages in your online account inbox? Check your spam folder too. The system keeps letting you certify because technically your claim is still open even if they've determined you're ineligible. It's a system limitation that confuses everyone. You have three options: 1. File an appeal if you believe you are eligible (must be done within 30 days of determination) 2. Try calling again and speak to a different representative who might be more helpful 3. If you have new employment circumstances that might make you eligible, you can file a new claim

this happened to me last year! kept certifying for like 2 months with pending status. turned out i had worked in another state the previous year so they needed to do some extra verification. did u work outside NY in the past 18 months maybe?

The EXACT same thing happened with me!! Filed in December and it sat pending for TWO MONTHS with $0 showing! I was about to lose my apartment because I had NO income and these people just kept me hanging! I called literally 42 times (I counted) and either got disconnected or was told someone would call me back who NEVER DID. Do you have any previous overpayment from years ago? That's what it turned out to be for me - I had an overpayment from 2022 that I didn't know about because they sent notices to my old address!!!! The system was holding my new claim until that was resolved but NOBODY TOLD ME!!!

I only found out because I FINALLY got through to someone after two months of calling who actually knew what they were doing. Most of the agents seem to have no idea what's happening in their own system! They told me I had to pay back $1,390 from an overpayment before my new claim would process. But here's the CRAZY part - they never sent me ANY notification about it to my new address or my online account! So frustrating!

ok so the trick is to call RIGHT when they open at 8AM on wednesday. not monday or tuesday, wednesday! for some reason thats when the call volume is lowest. thats how i finally got thru after weeks of trying. good luck!

After 2 weeks of trying to call NYSDOL with no luck, I ended up using Claimyr.com to get through right away. It costs money but was worth it for me since I was missing out on way more by not getting my benefits fixed. They connected me to an agent in about 15 minutes after I'd been trying for WEEKS on my own. There's a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE The agent I spoke to was able to see that there was a flag on my account for "insufficient documentation" but no one had bothered to notify me what documents they needed! Once I knew what the problem was, I was able to upload the right stuff and my pending status was cleared in 3 days.

Yes, it absolutely worked for me. I was skeptical too but after 2 weeks of failing to get through myself, I was desperate. The service basically navigates the phone system and waits on hold for you, then calls you when they have an agent on the line. The key part was actually getting to speak to someone who could see the real reason my claim was stuck - which turned out to be something completely fixable!

Let me clear up some misconceptions about the "pending" status with $0 showing: 1. This status typically means your claim is under review or has an unresolved issue. 2. The system allows you to continue certifying because IF your claim is eventually approved, you'll receive backpay for all weeks properly certified. 3. The representative you spoke with was incorrect in how they handled your situation. Even if you're deemed ineligible, they should: - Explain exactly why you're ineligible - Direct you to the official determination letter - Inform you of your appeal rights - Change your status from "pending" to "denied" I'd recommend: 1. Check your online message center AND postal mail for determination letters 2. Contact your state representative's office and ask for help with NYSDOL (they have special channels) 3. Request a supervisor when you call NYSDOL - be polite but firm that you need specific information about your claim status Also, for claims filed in January 2025, there are still some verification backlogs due to the system migration that happened in December 2024. This may be contributing to the delay.

anyone know if you keep certifying and then later get approved do you get all the back weeks paid at once? might be worth keeping up with the weekly certifications just in case

This doesn't directly answer your question but does anyone know if the $840 maximum weekly benefit is going up anytime soon? I heard rumors it was increasing but haven't seen anything official. Sorry for going off topic!

UPDATE: I finally got through this morning using the Claimyr service someone recommended. It was strange having another service call for me, but it worked! The agent I spoke with was actually helpful (unlike the last one) and found that there was an "identity verification issue" on my account. Apparently they sent a letter requesting additional documents to my old address even though I updated it in the system! They're sending a new request to my current address and once I submit the documents my claim should be processed within 7-10 business days. She also said I'll get paid for all the weeks I've been certifying once it's approved! Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions. This has been such a stressful experience, but at least now I know what's going on.

So glad to hear you finally got some answers! This is exactly why I always tell people not to give up - the system is broken but there are ways to work around it. Identity verification issues are super common, especially after the system migration in December. The fact that they sent documents to your old address even though you updated it is so typical of their terrible communication. Just a heads up - when you get that letter, read it VERY carefully and make sure you submit exactly what they're asking for. Sometimes they're picky about document formats or dates. And definitely keep copies of everything you send! Really happy this worked out for you. Hopefully others in similar situations will see your update and know there's hope!