NY unemployment website keeps showing 'technical difficulties' while my claim sits in pending limbo

Same boat. Been getting that error for almost 3 weeks now. My rent is due next week and I have no idea if my claim is moving forward or stuck. The website is completely useless.

After wasting WEEKS trying to get answers about my pending claim, I finally got through to a real person using claimyr.com - it skipped the hold time and connected me directly to an agent. That agent was able to unlock my claim in minutes! Talking to someone got my benefits moving right away and was absolutely worth it. Check out this video about how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

The technical difficulties page is the WORST. I've learned to try logging in between 7-8am - sometimes the site works better during off-peak hours. But yeah, calling is unfortunately your best bet. Good luck getting through though 😫

This has been happening since they 'upgraded' their system back in July. Classic NY unemployment move - fix something that wasn't broken and create a bigger mess. I had to call every single day for two weeks straight before someone finally fixed my pending claim.

Pro tip for everyone stuck in pending: Send a secure message through the portal (if you can access it) AND email your state representative. I was stuck for 6 weeks until I contacted my rep, then magically my claim was approved within 48 hours. They can light a fire under unemployment's ass.

For anyone dealing with this frustrating issue, here's what I've learned after going through this nightmare twice: The technical difficulties page is usually a server overload issue, but your claim is still in their system. The key is getting someone on the phone who can actually help. Regular phone reps often have limited abilities to fix issues. What finally worked for me: 1) Try logging in during off-hours (early morning or late evening) 2) If you can access it, send messages through the secure portal DAILY 3) Call your state representative's office - they have direct contacts 4) If desperate, use claimyr.com - saved me weeks of frustration by getting me through to a rep right away Be persistent and document EVERYTHING - dates you called, who you spoke with, what they told you. The system is designed to wear you down, but don't give up. Your benefits are your right!

That stupid technical difficulties page cost me almost $2000 in delayed benefits. The system is designed to frustrate people into giving up. DONT GIVE UP. Keep calling, keep documenting, and don't take "we'll look into it" as an answer.

not to sound like a conspiracy theorist but I swear they deliberately make the website broken to reduce the number of claims they have to process 🤡

Have you tried using a different browser? Chrome gave me that error constantly but Firefox actually worked. Worth a shot.

Anyone know if there's a direct email address for NY unemployment? The phone system is useless.

After 2 months of this exact same problem, I finally got my claim approved last week. The key was calling exactly at 8:01 AM when they open. I got through after only 5 attempts and spoke with someone who actually fixed the technical issue on my account. Don't give up!

this is why nobody trusts the government to run anything important. website from 1995, customer service from hell, and no accountability when their broken systems mess up people's lives.

FYI for everyone - there's a planned 'maintenance' this weekend that might make the system even worse for a few days. Plan accordingly!

I literally spent 4 hours on hold yesterday only to be hung up on when someone finally answered. I'm about to lose my apartment because of this bs. The system is BROKEN.

Something that worked for me: try accessing the site using your phone's data instead of wifi. For some weird reason that bypassed the error page for me.

This is absolutely infuriating! I've been dealing with the exact same thing for 3 weeks now. Every morning I wake up hoping today will be the day the website actually works, but nope - same stupid error page. I finally got through to someone last week who told me there's a "glitch" in their system affecting thousands of people but they have no timeline for fixing it. Meanwhile my credit card bills are maxing out and I'm rationing groceries. The fact that they can't even keep their website functional while people are struggling financially is just cruel. Has anyone had luck with that early morning login trick? I'm willing to try anything at this point.

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now. Filed my claim 6 weeks ago and it's been stuck in pending status ever since. The technical difficulties page has basically become my homepage at this point - I see it more than any other website! What's really maddening is that when I finally got through to someone after literally 60+ attempts, they acted like this was totally normal and couldn't explain why it takes so long. They just kept saying "the system is processing your claim" but gave zero timeline. I've started keeping a spreadsheet of every call attempt, what time I called, and what happened - mostly just for my own sanity at this point. Reading everyone's suggestions here though, I think I'm going to try that claimyr service and also reach out to my state rep. At this point I'll try anything to get some movement on this claim!

This whole situation is absolutely maddening! I've been stuck in the same cycle for almost a month now - that stupid technical difficulties page is like a brick wall. What really gets me is that they clearly know about this issue affecting thousands of people but there's zero communication about when it might be fixed. I finally managed to get through yesterday after probably 50+ attempts and the rep basically just shrugged and said "keep checking the website" - like, seriously?! The website that DOESN'T WORK?! I'm going to try some of the suggestions here - definitely going to attempt the early morning login trick and maybe bite the bullet and try that claimyr service. At this point I'm willing to try anything. It's insane that we have to jump through all these hoops just to access benefits we're entitled to. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least I know I'm not going crazy and this really is as broken as it seems!