NYS Department of Labor claim showing 'under review' - what does this mean exactly?

When your NYS Department of Labor claim shows 'under review' it typically means they're conducting what's called adjudication. This is a normal process where they verify your employment history, the reason you became unemployed, and whether you meet all eligibility requirements. They might be contacting your former employer to confirm details about your separation. The review process usually takes 1-3 weeks, though it can be longer during busy periods. Don't panic - most claims that go into review are eventually approved.

mine said under review for almost 3 weeks last year. turned out they were just backed up and everything was fine. keep filing your weekly claims even while its under review or you could lose benefits for those weeks

If you're getting frustrated waiting for NYS Department of Labor to process your review, I had luck using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually get through to a real person who could check my claim status. They have this video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Basically they help you get connected to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent instead of getting stuck in the endless phone menu loop. Was way easier than trying to call myself and getting hung up on constantly.

UGH the whole system is so frustrating!! Why can't they just tell you what specifically they're reviewing instead of leaving you in the dark? I've been under review for 2 weeks now and it's making me SO anxious about paying my bills. This is supposed to be a safety net but it feels more like torture waiting for them to decide if I deserve help or not.

Just to add to what others said - 'under review' basically means adjudication is happening. They're probably verifying your work history and making sure your job separation qualifies for benefits. Keep doing your weekly certifications during this time. Most people get approved eventually, it's just the verification process taking time. The NYS Department of Labor has to follow federal guidelines for reviewing all new claims.

I went through the exact same thing a few months ago - that "under review" status is nerve-wracking when you don't know what it means! In my case, it turned out they were just verifying my employment dates with my previous employer. The whole process took about 2.5 weeks, but I did get approved in the end. One thing that helped my anxiety was calling the general info line (not to speak to someone, just to listen to the automated updates) - they sometimes have recorded messages about current processing times. Also definitely keep filing those weekly claims like others mentioned, even if it feels pointless while you're waiting. Hang in there!