No release date after claiming NY unemployment benefits two weeks in a row - benefits cut off?

Missing payment status could mean a LOT of things - not necessarily cut off. Has he checked his message inbox on the portal? Sometimes they flag accounts for identity verification or additional questions without making it obvious. Tell him to keep certifying every week regardless!!!

This exact thing happened to me in January. No release dates for 3 weeks straight. Turned out my benefit year had ended and I needed to file a new claim even though I still had a balance showing. Check if his benefit year end date has passed - it's on the main page of the account.

the system glitches ALL THE TIME, ppl dont realize this but sometimes payments just stop for no reason and then suddenly appear. tell ur friend to keep certifing+check his payment history tab not just the main screen. sometimes the main screen dont update but the payment history does.

There are several potential explanations for missing release dates: 1. Benefit year ended (most common) 2. Monetary eligibility issue (quarters of employment) 3. Work search requirements not properly documented 4. Identity verification flag 5. System glitch He should look at his "Claim Status" page for any clues. Also check if there's a "Questionnaire" section with anything pending. Most importantly, he should continue certifying weekly while trying to resolve this.

Your friend needs to call NYSDOL directly. There could be a hold on his account that won't be visible to him online. The longer he waits, the longer it will take to resolve. When I had a similar issue in 2025, it took me 3 weeks to get through to someone, but once I did, they fixed it in minutes - turns out there was a simple flag on my account because my reported earnings from one week triggered a review. I wasted days trying to figure it out online when a quick call would have solved it. The problem is getting through on the phone - I had to try for hours every day.

After spending DAYS trying to reach the NY unemployment office last month when my payments suddenly stopped, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes. They basically keep dialing for you until they get through, then call you when they have an agent on the line. Saved me hours of frustration. Check out their demo at https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - their website is claimyr.com. Seriously, it's the only way I managed to talk to someone and get my issue fixed.

Did your friend recently start a part-time job or report any income? I stopped getting payments when I reported just ONE DAY of work (even though it was under the threshold where benefits should be reduced, not eliminated). The system is EXTREMELY sensitive to ANY changes in status. And good luck getting through to fix it!!!!

UPDATE: I checked with my friend who works at NYSDOL (not in claims processing though). She said there's currently a verification backlog from their latest system update in March 2025. Some accounts are randomly selected for verification, and payments pause until that's complete. The problem is there's no notification - it just shows as no release date. Your friend should definitely call, and keep certifying weekly.

Based on everything you've shared, this sounds like the March system update issue. Your friend should: 1. Continue certifying weekly without fail 2. Try calling first thing Monday morning (7:30am is best) 3. Check his online account settings to ensure contact information is current 4. Look for a mail notice (sometimes they send physical mail but not online messages) 5. Verify his direct deposit or debit card information hasn't expired If he still can't get through by phone after 3 days of trying, the Claimyr service mentioned above might be worth considering as waiting too long can further complicate the resolution.