NYS Department of Labor - how do I claim my waiting week for unemployment benefits?
I've been getting unemployment for about 6 weeks now but I think I never got paid for my first waiting week. My friend told me that after you get approved you can go back and claim that first week but I can't figure out how to do it on the my.ny.gov website. Does anyone know the process for claiming your waiting week with NYS Department of Labor? I really need that extra $435 right now.
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Isabella Oliveira
You need to file a claim for that first week through your online account. Log into my.ny.gov, go to your unemployment services, and look for 'claim weekly benefits' - you should be able to select that first week from the dropdown. The waiting week becomes payable once you've received benefits for at least one full week.
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Malik Thomas
•I tried that but when I go to claim weekly benefits it only shows me the current week and maybe one week back. The first week from when I applied doesn't show up in the dropdown at all.
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Ravi Kapoor
same thing happened to me!! i had to call them because the website wouldn't let me claim it. took forever to get through though
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Malik Thomas
•How long did it take you to reach someone? I've been trying to call for days and either get disconnected or the line is busy.
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Ravi Kapoor
•like 3 hours of calling over and over. finally got through around 2pm on a wednesday
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Freya Larsen
The waiting week elimination was implemented in 2021, so technically there shouldn't be a waiting week anymore for most UI claims in New York. However, if you filed during a transition period or had gaps in your claim, you might have an unpaid week that needs manual processing. You'll need to contact NYS Department of Labor directly to have them review your claim history and manually process any eligible weeks.
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Malik Thomas
•Wait, so there's no waiting week at all anymore? I definitely didn't get paid for my first week though. This is so confusing.
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Freya Larsen
•Correct, NY eliminated the waiting week, but there can still be unpaid weeks due to processing delays or if your claim needed adjudication. Check your payment history in your online account to see exactly which weeks were paid.
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GalacticGladiator
I had the exact same problem last year and couldn't get through to NYS Department of Labor no matter how many times I called. Finally found this service called Claimyr that calls for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I got my missing week payment sorted out within a week of using them.
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Omar Zaki
•How much does something like that cost? Seems like you shouldn't have to pay extra just to talk to unemployment.
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GalacticGladiator
•I thought the same thing at first, but when I calculated how much time I was wasting trying to call and the stress it was causing, it was worth it. Plus I got my missing $435 back so it paid for itself.
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Chloe Taylor
The NYS Department of Labor system is such a joke. They make it impossible to reach anyone and then wonder why people are frustrated. I'm still missing two weeks of payments from when my claim was under review.
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Diego Flores
•Tell me about it. Been dealing with this mess for months. At least the website works better than it used to during COVID.
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Yara Khoury
I'm dealing with the same issue right now! I've been certified for 4 weeks but noticed my first week never got paid. From what I've researched, you should look in your online account under "Payment History" to see if that first week shows as "pending" or just missing entirely. If it's showing as pending, it might resolve automatically, but if it's not there at all, you'll definitely need to call. I've heard calling right when they open at 8am gives you the best chance of getting through. Also try calling on Tuesday or Wednesday - Mondays are apparently the worst day to try.
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