Need NY unemployment agent phone number after being disconnected 5 times

The main NY unemployment phone number is 1-888-209-8124. They're open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Unfortunately, that's the only official number they have for claims issues. The system is totally overloaded right now, so getting through is basically a lottery. Try calling exactly at 8:00 AM when they first open - that's when I finally got through after trying for a week.

try calling at 8:03, not 8 exactly. everyone calls at 8 sharp so system gets jammed. worked for me last month

Here's what worked for me after weeks of frustration: I used Claimyr to get through to an agent. It's a service that basically calls for you and notifies you when there's an agent ready to talk. Saved me hours of holding and getting disconnected. They have a demo video that explains it better than I can: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE and their website is claimyr.com. I was super skeptical at first but when I was facing a similar urgent issue with rent coming due, I tried it and got through to an agent within an hour.

Yes, it actually does work. I was able to connect with an agent who fixed my claim issue on the spot. The key thing is that once you're connected, make sure you have all your claim information ready - your NY.gov ID, claim confirmation number, and any correspondence reference numbers they've sent you about the problem.

I actually used that Claimyr thing too last month. It's legit - I was surprised it worked. But yeah you still gotta wait for an agent, it just handles the calling part for you. Better than getting hung up on over and over.

The phone system for NY unemployment is ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!! I swear they designed it to make people give up. Last year I had an issue where they said I owed $4200 in overpayments that wasn't my fault AT ALL. Took me TWO MONTHS to get someone on the phone to fix it. And then they still messed it up and I had to call AGAIN! The whole system is broken on purpose if you ask me.

They eventually fixed mine after I sent in like 20 pages of documentation proving I reported everything correctly. But I had to be SUPER persistent. Don't give up!

Another option is to contact your state assembly member or state senator's office. They often have dedicated staff who can help with unemployment issues and sometimes direct lines to DOL. Google your district and "constituent services" - they can often work wonders when the regular channels fail.

Guys I just had a similar issue last week and i wnated to add that if your waiting for a call back make sure your phone isn't blocking unknown numbers. NYSDOL calls show up as unknown and I missed their call twice because of that lol. And they don't leave voicemails either which is super annoying