NYS Department of Labor unemployment protest taking so long - what's the holdup?
Filed a protest with NYS Department of Labor back in November after they denied my claim for 'voluntary quit' even though I was laid off due to company restructuring. It's been almost 2 months now and my case is still showing 'under review' in the system. I submitted all my documentation including the WARN notice and layoff letter from HR. Anyone else dealing with super long protest wait times? This is getting ridiculous - I can't even get basic answers when I try calling.
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Dylan Cooper
Protest reviews have been taking 8-12 weeks lately, especially for voluntary quit determinations. The NYS Department of Labor has to review all your employment documentation and sometimes contact your former employer for their side. Since you have a WARN notice, that should work in your favor, but the process is just slow right now.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•8-12 weeks?? That's insane. I thought it would be a quick fix since I have the layoff paperwork.
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Sofia Perez
same boat here, filed my protest in october and STILL waiting. the whole system is backed up
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Dmitry Smirnov
The delay is frustrating but common right now. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while the protest is pending - if you win, you'll get back pay for all those weeks. Also double-check that you uploaded all documents through the my.ny.gov portal, not just mailed them in.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•Yes I've been filing weekly claims and uploaded everything online. Just hate being in limbo like this.
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ElectricDreamer
I had this exact problem last year - couldn't get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor for weeks. Someone on here recommended trying Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I was skeptical but it actually got me through to someone who could check my protest status and give me a timeline.
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Ava Johnson
•never heard of that service before, does it actually work?
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ElectricDreamer
•Worked for me! Way better than sitting on hold for hours just to get disconnected.
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Miguel Diaz
The NYS Department of Labor protest system is completely broken. I've been waiting 3 months for my appeal hearing and they keep rescheduling it. Meanwhile I'm drowning in bills because they wrongfully denied my benefits. The whole unemployment system in this state needs an overhaul.
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Zainab Ahmed
•I feel you on this. It's like they're designed to make us give up and stop trying.
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Dylan Cooper
Just to clarify - a protest and an appeal are different processes. A protest challenges the initial determination, while an appeal goes to an administrative law judge if the protest is denied. It sounds like you're still in the protest phase, which is good because those typically resolve faster than appeals.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
I'm dealing with the same nightmare right now - filed my protest in December for a wrongful "voluntary quit" determination and still nothing. The worst part is you can't even get a human on the phone to explain what's taking so long. I've tried calling every day for weeks and either get busy signals or sit on hold for 2+ hours just to get disconnected. Has anyone had any luck reaching out to their local assemblywoman's office? I'm wondering if getting a legislative inquiry started might help move things along faster.
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