NYS Department of Labor unemployment eligibility status showing as 'under review' - what does this mean?
I applied for unemployment benefits two weeks ago and when I check my account on my.ny.gov it shows my eligibility status as 'under review'. I'm really confused about what this means exactly. I lost my job through no fault of my own when my company downsized, so I thought I'd qualify automatically. Is this normal or should I be worried? The unemployment eligibility status hasn't changed at all since I first filed and I haven't received any letters or emails explaining what they're reviewing. Has anyone else dealt with this?
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Carmen Lopez
The 'under review' status usually means NYS Department of Labor is verifying your employment history and the circumstances of your job separation. This is pretty standard - they need to confirm you meet all the eligibility requirements before approving benefits. It can take 2-4 weeks depending on how quickly your former employer responds to their inquiries.
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Yuki Ito
•Thank you! That makes me feel better. Do they contact my previous employer automatically or do I need to do something?
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AstroAdventurer
Same thing happened to me last month. The eligibility review took exactly 3 weeks and then suddenly my claim was approved and I got backpay for all the weeks I'd been waiting. Just keep filing your weekly claims even while it's under review - that's important.
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Andre Dupont
•wait you still have to file weekly claims during the review?? I thought you only started those after approval
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AstroAdventurer
•Yes absolutely! If you don't file weekly claims during the review period you'll lose those weeks even if you get approved later. Keep filing every week.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
ugh the NYS Department of Labor system is so frustrating!! mine said under review for 5 weeks and when I finally got through to someone on the phone they said my employer never responded to their request for information. Had to start the whole process over because apparently there was some issue with how they contacted them.
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Yuki Ito
•Oh no that sounds terrible! How did you finally get through to talk to someone? I've been trying to call but can never get past the automated system.
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Jamal Wilson
•If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone, I had success using Claimyr - it's a service that helps you get connected to an actual agent. Check out claimyr.com and they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting disconnected.
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Mei Lin
Just keep checking your account daily. Sometimes the status changes without any notification. Also make sure you're keeping up with any job search requirements even during the review - they'll ask about that later if you get approved.
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Amara Okafor
I went through the same thing about 6 months ago - the "under review" status is totally normal and doesn't mean there's a problem with your claim. NYS DOL has to verify everything before they can start paying benefits. In my case, it took about 3.5 weeks and then I got approved with full backpay. The key thing is to keep filing your weekly certifications even while it's under review - don't skip any weeks or you'll lose those payments even after approval. Also, they do contact your former employer automatically to verify the reason for separation, so you don't need to do anything on that front. Try not to stress too much about it!
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Molly Chambers
•This is really helpful, thank you! I've been so anxious about the whole situation. Quick question - when you say "weekly certifications," is that the same as the weekly claim filing that others mentioned? I want to make sure I'm doing everything right and not missing any steps.
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Philip Cowan
•Yes, "weekly certifications" and "weekly claim filing" are the same thing - it's just different terminology for the same process. You log into your NY.gov account each week and answer questions about your job search activities, any income you earned, etc. Even though your eligibility is still under review, you absolutely need to keep doing this every week to preserve your claim for those weeks. The system will let you file these weekly certifications even while your initial application is being reviewed.
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Cynthia Love
•Yes, weekly certifications and weekly claim filing are the same thing! You log into your account and answer questions about whether you worked that week, looked for work, etc. It's usually available to file on Sunday for the previous week. Don't worry - the system will guide you through it step by step. The important thing is just don't skip any weeks even while your initial claim is under review.
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Mateo Rodriguez
•Yes, weekly certifications and weekly claim filing are the same thing! You'll log into your ny.gov account and answer questions about your job search activities, any work you did that week, and confirm you're still unemployed and able to work. It's usually just a few questions and takes about 5 minutes. Make sure to do this every week even while under review - it's super important for getting your backpay once approved.
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Elijah Jackson
•Yes, exactly! "Weekly certifications" and "weekly claim filing" are the same thing - it's just different terminology for the same process. You log into your account each week and certify that you're still unemployed and looking for work. Don't worry, you're asking the right questions! The system can be confusing with all the different terms they use.
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Max Reyes
•Yes, "weekly certifications" and "weekly claim filing" are the same thing! You'll log into your my.ny.gov account each week and answer questions about your job search activities, any work you did, and any income you received. It's usually available to complete on Sunday for the previous week. Even though your eligibility is still under review, definitely keep doing these every week - it establishes your continuous claim for benefits.
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