NY unemployment investigation after termination - 7 weeks no payment

These investigations can take 8-10 weeks sometimes, especially if your employer is fighting it. Keep certifying every week, and make sure you're documenting everything. The backpay will come once they decide in your favor (assuming they do). The most important thing to know is that you need to respond to ANY communication from them immediately - check your email spam folder and your online message center daily. They sometimes send time-sensitive questionnaires that can delay your case if you miss them.

Thank you! I've been checking everything obsessively, but there's been nothing new since the initial notice. So frustrating that they can just keep us waiting with no income for months.

same thing happened 2 me last month. employer said i was fired but really they just didnt have enough work. took almost 9 weeks to get ANY money. keep certifying!!

This is why the whole system is broken! Employers lie to avoid their UI rates going up, and the DOL takes THEIR word over ours until proven otherwise. It's completely backwards - we should get benefits while they investigate, not starve waiting for bureaucrats to do their jobs!

Totally agree. My cousin went thru the same thing and ended up getting evicted while waiting. The whole system punishes workers for something completely out of our control.

Is there a specific form they sent you about the investigation? When I had my claim investigated last year they sent me a questionnaire form TC-403B that I had to fill out explaining why I believed I was eligible. Did you get something like that? If not, they might still send one and it will have a deadline, so keep checking your messages!!!

I got the TC-403B form right at the beginning and filled it out immediately. That was 7 weeks ago and nothing since then. Did you have to wait this long too?

Yeah I waited about 8 weeks total. But the difference was I could actually reach someone on the phone who confirmed they received my form. Have you been able to speak to an actual person?

Investigations where the employer contests termination can take 8-12 weeks, unfortunately. Here's what you should be doing:\n\n1. Continue certifying weekly without fail\n2. Submit a written statement through the message portal detailing exactly why you believe you were terminated without misconduct (include dates, names, and any documentation)\n3. If you have a termination letter stating position elimination, upload that to your documents section\n4. Request a hearing if you haven't already - this can sometimes speed up the process\n\nMost importantly, you need to actually speak with an agent. The general line is nearly impossible to get through to someone who can help with investigations. Your best bet is to call the specialized claims unit at 888-209-8124, then press 1, then 5, then 2 when prompted. Call exactly at 8:00am when they open.

Thank you for the detailed advice! I've tried calling that number so many times but can never get through - always says all agents are busy and disconnects me. I'll try your specific sequence of buttons tomorrow morning right at 8am.

my neighbor had this happen and they denied him then he appealed and won but it took like 4 months total. really sucked, he had to borrow money from everyone. does your employer have any proof of misconduct? thats the important thing

They absolutely don't have proof because there was no misconduct! They literally told me my position was being eliminated due to budget cuts, but now they're claiming performance issues that were never documented. I have the termination meeting notes where they specifically said it wasn't performance-related. Just waiting for DOL to actually review my evidence...

After fighting with the system for weeks and getting nowhere, I finally tried Claimyr (claimyr.com) and it actually worked! They got me connected to a real person at unemployment within 30 minutes when I had been trying for weeks on my own. The agent was able to see that my investigation was just sitting there waiting for review and they escalated it. Got my determination and backpay the following week. Check out their demo video if you're curious how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

does it really work? im skeptical of these services

It did for me! I was also skeptical but after 6 weeks of getting nowhere I was desperate. The key thing is that they don't handle your claim - they just get you connected to a real NY DOL agent who can help.

Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out. At this point I'm willing to try anything to get this resolved.

One more thing to consider - if you're in dire financial straits while waiting, you might qualify for emergency assistance through HRA/DSS. They have one-time emergency grants that can help with rent while you're waiting for UI to come through. Also worth applying for SNAP benefits if you haven't already.

Thank you - I've applied for SNAP but will look into the emergency grants too. Really appreciate everyone's help here.

The REAL problem is NY DOL is STILL operating on an ancient system that can't handle the volume! They never upgraded after the pandemic exposed all the flaws. My cousin works for the state (not DOL) and says they're STILL using software from the 90s for claims processing! And now they've cut staff too so investigations that used to take 4-5 weeks are taking 10+ weeks. It's absolutely criminal how they treat people who are already in crisis!

You're right about the system being ancient! When I finally got through to someone they told me my investigation was actually complete but the system hadn't updated to release my payments. They had to manually override something. Maybe OP is in the same situation?

That's infuriating if true! I'll definitely mention that possibility if I ever get through to a human.

Quick update for everyone in this thread - NY DOL just announced they're prioritizing investigation cases that are over 6 weeks old. If you've been waiting longer than that, call and specifically mention the new

Wow, that's great news! I definitely qualify then. Do you have a link to this announcement? I can't find anything about it on the DOL website.

It was in their newsletter email from last Thursday (2/27). I don't think they've updated the website yet. When you call, mention that date specifically if they seem unsure about the initiative.

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at DOL! Used the Claimyr service that was suggested here and it actually connected me to an agent within about 45 minutes. The agent told me my investigation was actually complete last week but there was a system flag preventing payment release. They cleared it manually and I should receive all 7 weeks of backpay within 3 business days! Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions during this stressful time.