NY unemployment denied for 'not enough wages' after 6 years at job - stuck in review since January

This sounds like you may have had a 'base period' issue. NY unemployment looks at your earnings from 5-17 months before you apply, not just your most recent work. If you had reduced hours or lower wages during that specific time window, you might get denied even with 6 years at the job. When they're 'determining your benefit amount,' they're reviewing additional quarters of wages that might qualify you under the 'alternate base period.' The review shouldn't take more than 4-6 weeks though - you've been waiting way too long. Have you tried calling the appeals department directly? Their number is different from the main unemployment line.

same thing happened to my cousin last month. they said he didnt make enough but he worked there for 3 years!!! the whole system is rigged tbh

You need to KEEP CALLING until you get through! They won't resolve this by themselves. I had a similar issue last year and waited 2 months before I finally called every single day for a week. The claims specialist told me my file was just sitting there because of the backlog. After I got through, they fixed it in 2 days and I got all my back payments. I eventually had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent. Saved me hours of redial hell. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - basically they hold your place in line and call you when they get an agent. Worked on the first try for me.

Not making enough money usually means you didn't earn enough during your base period, which is the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed. Did you have any periods where you weren't working full hours during 2023? That could explain it.

@profile5 Yes, Claimyr is completely legitimate. I was skeptical too, but I was desperate after trying for 3 weeks to get through. They just connect you with an actual agent at unemployment. You still handle all your personal info directly with the unemployment office, not with the service.

If ur saying u worked at same place 6 yrs but got denied for not enough wages, somethin else is going on. Maybe employer reported different earnings? request ur wage transcript from nysdol to see whats on record. or could be quarters issue like others said

To request a wage transcript, you can either: 1. Call the telephone claims center (difficult to get through) 2. Send a secure message through your online account requesting it 3. Send a written request by mail to NYSDOL But honestly, at this point, your fastest solution is getting through to a live agent who can see exactly what's happening with your claim. They can pull up all your wage information and tell you precisely what the issue is. Also, with your medical leave situation, you might qualify under special circumstances. The agent would need to review this specifically - it's not something the automated system handles well.

my cousin eventually got approved but it took like 10 weeks and he had to keep calling. the backpay came all at once tho

The 'not enough wages' denial is often fixable, but only if you can get to someone who knows what they're doing. Since you mentioned medical leave, there's a special provision for this. If your base period wages are low due to an illness/disability that prevented you from working, you can request that they exclude those quarters and use earlier ones instead. This is called a 'movable base period' and it's specifically designed for situations like yours. But you MUST speak to a claims specialist to request this - it's not automatic and not widely advertised. Once you get through (using whatever method works), specifically mention that you had medical leave and ask about the movable base period option.

let us know how it goes! took me 3 months to get my issue fixed last yr but they did pay everything back to the filing date

One more thing - make sure you've been doing your weekly certifications this whole time, even while waiting for the determination. If you haven't been, you might not get backpay for those weeks regardless of what happens with your eligibility review.

Unfortunately, you generally need to certify for each week you're claiming benefits, even during an appeal or review process. However, you can request retroactive certification for those weeks when you speak to an agent. Explain that you didn't understand you needed to continue certifying after the initial denial. They can often make exceptions for this, especially in cases where there was confusion about eligibility. Make sure to compile a list of all the weeks you were unemployed and available for work since January. The agent may ask you to verify your availability and job search activities for each of those weeks, so be prepared with that information.

I've seen the retroactive certification work out for people in similar situations. Just be honest about why you stopped certifying (the denial letter made you think you weren't eligible) and they're usually understanding. Good luck - please update us when you get it resolved!