Need NY unemployment Governor's office number - waiting since July with no payments
Does anybody know the direct number to the Governor's office for NY unemployment issues? I filed a new claim back in July 2025 and it's now October and I STILL haven't received a single payment! My claim status just says 'pending' forever. I've called the regular unemployment number like 50 times but can never get through to a real person. I'm seriously about to lose my apartment if I don't get this figured out soon. Even an email address would help at this point. This is ridiculous! 😣
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LunarLegend
The governor's office won't help directly with individual claims. Your best bet is to contact your state assembly person or senator - they have direct lines to DOL. Google '[your county] NY state assembly' to find yours. They usually have caseworkers who deal with unemployment issues.
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Emma Davis
•Thanks, I didn't think about contacting my assembly person. Do you know how long that usually takes to get a response? I'm literally down to my last $200.
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Malik Jackson
Ive been in ur exact situation last year. Spent weeks trying to call regular number and getting nowhere. Finally used Claimyr.com to get through to an actual agent in under 10 minutes. They have this service that calls for you and connects you directly to a rep. Saved me weeks of frustration! They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE
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Isabella Oliveira
•is that service legit tho?? sounds too good to be true honestly. the wait times are insane right now
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Malik Jackson
•100% legit. I was skeptical too but was desperate after 6 weeks of no payments. Got connected to an agent who fixed my claim issue on the spot.
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Ravi Patel
There's actually a specific escalation process for claims pending more than 6 weeks. Call the main DOL number (888-209-8124) between 8:00-8:30am when they first open - that's when wait times are shortest. When prompted, press 2, then 1, then 2 again. This takes you to the claims specialist queue rather than general questions. Be prepared with your NY.gov ID, the last 4 of your SSN, and your claim confirmation number.
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Emma Davis
•THANK YOU! Will try this first thing tomorrow morning. Really appreciate the specific instructions.
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Freya Andersen
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE U GIVE UP!!!! I waited NINE WEEKS last month for my claim to process. Called 100+ times. Know what fixed it? I filed a complaint with the NY Department of Labor Inspector General (1-800-367-4448). Suddenly my claim was processed in 48 HOURS. They dont want u to know this number because then they'd have to actually DO THEIR JOBS!!!!!
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Omar Zaki
•While filing a complaint can sometimes help, the delays aren't usually intentional. The DOL is severely understaffed right now after the 2025 budget cuts. Most claims taking 8+ weeks have some kind of identity verification or employer response issue that needs human review.
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Freya Andersen
•Yeah right. Then why did mine magically get fixed right after I complained? They're sitting on these claims until someone makes noise. PERIOD.
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CosmicCrusader
my cousin works for unemployment and she said theres a huge backlog right now bc of the new system they installed in june. lots of new claims r getting stuck in pending status. they know about it but theres no eta for a fix yet
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Emma Davis
•That's so frustrating! Did your cousin mention anything about what we can do to get unstuck from this pending status?
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Omar Zaki
I'm a volunteer with a legal aid clinic that helps with UI issues. Here's what you need to know: 1. Governor's office won't help with individual claims 2. The July-August system migration caused significant backlogs for new claims 3. Most effective escalation paths (in order): - Contact your NY State Assembly member or Senator's office - Request a supervisor when calling DOL (using the number/prompts another commenter shared) - File a complaint with DOL Office of Special Investigations Most importantly: CONTINUE CERTIFYING WEEKLY even if you're not receiving payments. When your claim is finally processed, you'll receive all back payments at once, but only for weeks you properly certified.
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Emma Davis
•This is really helpful! I have been certifying every week so that's good to know. I'll try contacting my assembly member tomorrow. If that doesn't work I'll try the other options.
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Omar Zaki
•Good plan. One more tip: when contacting your Assembly member, mention you're facing potential eviction due to the delay. They prioritize cases with immediate financial hardship.
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LunarLegend
Anyone else notice that ever since they "upgraded" the NY unemployment system this summer, everything is a total disaster? My brother and two friends all had claims get stuck in limbo. One of them finally got it fixed by going IN PERSON to the DOL office in Albany. Not realistic for most people obviously.
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CosmicCrusader
•yep the new system is terrible... my friend works there and says they hate it too. apparently they didnt train the staff properly before launching it
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Isabella Oliveira
have u tried the callback option on the website? thats how i finally got through last month
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Emma Davis
•I didn't know there was a callback option! Where exactly on the website do you find that?
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Isabella Oliveira
•its under contact us > request callback. but honestly it took them 3 days to call me back
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Malik Jackson
Just wanted to follow up - any luck with getting through to someone? Did you try any of the suggestions here?
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Emma Davis
•I tried calling the number with the special prompts but still couldn't get through after waiting 2 hours! Then I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned and actually got through to a rep in about 15 minutes. They found that my identity verification was stuck in the system. The agent was able to clear it right there on the phone. My payments should start processing in 3-5 business days! Such a relief!
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