Need phone number for NY governor's office about unemployment claim issue

The Governor's office phone number is 518-474-8390, but honestly they'll just redirect you back to NYSDOL. I tried this route last year and wasted days. Your better option is to contact your local state assembly person or senator - they have dedicated staff for unemployment issues and can actually get results.

Thanks for the number. I'll try both approaches. Did your assembly person actually help? How long did it take to get a response from them?

calling the governors office wont do anything. they just transfer u back to the same unemployment line that nobody answers anyway. its all a big circle of frustration

SO TRUE!! The whole system is designed to make you give up! I spent THREE WEEKS trying to reach someone about my claim before I finally got through. The governor's staff doesn't handle individual unemployment cases.

I understand your frustration. While you can reach the Governor's office at 518-474-8390, they typically don't handle individual unemployment cases. Here are more effective options:\n\n1. Contact your local state representative (find them at nyassembly.gov or nysenate.gov)\n2. Submit a message through the NYSDOL secure message center in your online account\n3. Try calling at less busy times (early morning Tuesday-Thursday)\n4. If you need to speak with an agent quickly, I recently used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through in about 20 minutes instead of waiting days. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE\n\nAlso, make sure your claim doesn't have any outstanding issues that might be causing the delay - check your online account for any messages about required documentation.

I've been checking my account constantly and there are no messages asking for more info. It just says

This happened to me in January - claim stuck pending for 6 weeks! Turns out there was an identity verification flag on my account that nobody told me about. When I finally reached someone, they fixed it in 5 minutes and I got all my backpay the next week. So frustrating. Definitely contact your state rep as others suggested, they can often get things moving.

That's good to hear you finally got it resolved! I'm worried there might be some flag on mine too but with no way to talk to anyone, how would I know? I'm going to try all these suggestions.

If you need to escalate beyond regular channels, call your State Assembly member's office. They have direct contacts at NYSDOL and can often resolve pending claims much faster than going through normal channels. Don't waste time with the Governor's office - not the right channel for resolving individual claims.\n\nAlso check if your claim has any outstanding identity verification requirements. Many pending claims are stuck because of ID verification issues that weren't clearly communicated. This is especially common for first-time claimants in 2025 since they implemented the new verification system.

this is the correct answer!! my brother had same problem for 7 weeks, called our assembly person and magically got fixed in 3 days. governor office is useless for unemployment stuff

try reaching out on twitter too! sometimes they respond faster when u publicly complain lol

Haha I might just do that if these other options don't work quickly. Public shaming seems to be effective sometimes!

I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned above last month when my benefits suddenly stopped. Got through to an agent in like 15 mins when I had been trying for days on my own. cost money but worth it cuz i was about to miss rent. they connected me right to a real person who fixed my issue. check out their demo video, explains the whole process https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

I've heard about this service but was skeptical. Good to hear it actually worked for someone! Might try it myself with this latest issue on my claim.

UPDATE? Did any of these suggestions work for you? I'm in a similar situation now and wondering what actually helped.

Yes! I ended up contacting my assembly person AND using Claimyr to actually reach someone. The agent I finally spoke to said there was an employer verification issue that was never communicated to me. They pushed it through manually and I got all my backpay within 5 days! Definitely reach out to your local rep - that seemed to put some pressure on them internally.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with a similar situation - my claim has been pending for 5 weeks now. Based on what everyone shared, I'm going to try contacting my assembly person first since that seems to be the most effective approach. It's frustrating that the system makes it so difficult to get basic help, but at least there are people here willing to share what actually works. @Sean Kelly glad you finally got your backpay! Gives me hope that mine will get resolved too.

Just wanted to add another resource that helped me when I was in a similar situation last year - you can also file a complaint with the New York State Department of Labor's Office of Special Investigations if your claim has been pending for an unreasonably long time without explanation. They have an online complaint form and while it takes a few days to hear back, they can sometimes expedite resolution when regular channels aren't working. Also, document everything - dates you called, reference numbers, any correspondence. This documentation really helps when you escalate to your assembly person or senator. The system is definitely broken but don't give up! @Sean Kelly so glad you got your backpay - stories like yours keep the rest of us motivated to keep fighting through the bureaucracy.

I'm new to this community but unfortunately not new to NY unemployment issues! Been lurking here for weeks trying to find solutions for my own pending claim. This whole thread is incredibly valuable - thank you everyone for sharing what actually works versus what doesn't. @Sean Kelly your success story gives me hope! I'm on week 4 of pending status myself and had no idea about the assembly person route or these employer verification issues that apparently happen all the time. @Emma Wilson the Office of Special Investigations tip is something I hadn't seen mentioned anywhere else - definitely bookmarking that as a backup option. It's both frustrating and reassuring to see how common this problem is. Going to start with my assembly person tomorrow and document everything like you all suggested. Really appreciate having a place where people share real experiences instead of just the official "call this number" advice that doesn't actually work!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation - week 6 of pending status with absolutely no communication from NYSDOL. I've been calling the regular line every day for weeks but just get the endless automated loop that never connects you to a human. @Sean Kelly congratulations on finally getting your backpay! Your story about the employer verification issue is eye-opening - I bet that's what's happening with mine too since my former employer has been difficult about other paperwork. @Emma Wilson the Office of Special Investigations complaint form is something I definitely hadn't heard of before - going to file one of those as backup while I try the assembly person route first. @Giovanni Mancini totally agree this thread should be pinned! The official NYSDOL website and phone system are completely useless but the real-world advice here is gold. Going to call my assembly person's office first thing Monday morning - fingers crossed I can get some movement on my claim before rent is due at the end of the month. Thanks everyone for sharing what actually works!

I just wanted to jump in and say thank you to everyone in this thread! I'm currently on week 3 of a pending claim and was feeling completely hopeless until I found this discussion. @Sean Kelly your success story is exactly what I needed to hear right now - the fact that it turned out to be an employer verification issue that nobody communicated makes perfect sense. My previous employer has been unresponsive about other post-employment paperwork too, so I'm betting that's my issue as well. @Emma Wilson the Office of Special Investigations complaint option is brilliant - I had no idea that existed and it sounds like a perfect backup plan. @Giovanni Mancini your point about documentation is so important - I've been tracking my failed calls but need to start recording reference numbers and dates more systematically. Planning to contact my assembly person's office tomorrow morning and will definitely report back on what happens. It's both frustrating and comforting to know so many others are dealing with this same broken system, but at least we're helping each other find real solutions! This community is invaluable.

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation - week 7 of pending status with zero response from NYSDOL! This thread has been incredibly helpful in showing me there are actual solutions beyond the useless automated phone system. @Sean Kelly so glad you finally got your backpay - the employer verification issue explanation makes total sense since my former employer has been unresponsive about everything too. @Emma Wilson I had no idea about the Office of Special Investigations complaint option, that's going straight to my backup plan list! @Giovanni Mancini you're absolutely right about documenting everything - I've been keeping track of failed calls but need to start recording reference numbers systematically. Planning to contact my assembly person first thing Monday morning based on all the success stories here. It's both maddening and reassuring to see how common this problem is, but at least this community is sharing what actually works instead of the official runaround. Will definitely report back on my progress - thank you everyone for the roadmap out of this bureaucratic nightmare!

This thread has been such an eye-opener! I'm currently dealing with week 4 of pending status and was starting to lose hope until I found all this incredibly helpful advice. @Sean Kelly congratulations on finally getting your backpay - the employer verification issue revelation is huge since my former employer has also been dragging their feet on post-employment paperwork. @Emma Wilson the Office of Special Investigations complaint option is something I never would have discovered on my own - definitely adding that to my toolkit! @Giovanni Mancini your documentation advice is spot-on, I need to start tracking reference numbers more systematically. It's amazing how this community has figured out what actually works while the official channels just leave you in limbo. Planning to contact my assembly person tomorrow morning based on all the success stories shared here. The fact that so many people are stuck in the same situation is both frustrating and oddly comforting - at least we're not alone in this bureaucratic nightmare! Will definitely update with my results. Thank you everyone for sharing real solutions instead of the useless "keep calling" advice you get everywhere else.

I'm new here but unfortunately not new to NY unemployment frustrations! Currently on week 5 of pending status myself and this thread has been incredibly enlightening. @Sean Kelly huge congratulations on finally getting your backpay - the employer verification issue explanation is so helpful since my previous employer has been similarly unresponsive about documentation. @Emma Wilson I had no clue about the Office of Special Investigations complaint option, that's definitely going on my backup plan list! @Giovanni Mancini the documentation advice is crucial - I've been tracking failed calls but need to start recording reference numbers systematically like you suggested. It's both maddening and reassuring to see how widespread this problem is, but at least this community shares real solutions instead of the official runaround that gets you nowhere. Based on all the success stories here, I'm contacting my assembly person first thing tomorrow morning. Thank you everyone for creating this roadmap out of the bureaucratic maze - will definitely report back with results!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm currently stuck in week 8 of pending status and was starting to think I'd never see a resolution. @Sean Kelly your success story gives me so much hope - especially learning about the employer verification issue that nobody bothered to communicate. My former employer has been completely unresponsive to requests for documentation too, so I'm betting that's exactly what's happening with my claim. @Emma Wilson the Office of Special Investigations complaint option is brilliant - I had no idea that existed and it's going straight to my backup plan. @Giovanni Mancini your advice about systematic documentation is spot on - I've been loosely tracking calls but need to get more organized with reference numbers and dates. It's incredible how this community has cracked the code on what actually works while the official system just leaves you in endless limbo. I'm calling my assembly person's office first thing tomorrow morning based on all these success stories. The fact that so many of us are dealing with identical situations really highlights how broken the system is, but at least we're helping each other find real solutions! Will definitely update with my progress. Thank you everyone for sharing what actually moves the needle instead of the useless "keep trying" advice you get from official channels.