Ny unemployment claim stuck in pending for 2+ months, got referred to 'high priority unit'

The exact same thing happened to me. Filed in August, called in October, and they transfered me to this 'high priority' thing. It's been two weeks since then and still no movement on my claim. idk what to do at this point, bills aren't gonna pay themselves.

After spending weeks trying to get through on the phone with no luck, I finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at ny unemployment. They called and stayed on hold, then connected me when an agent picked up. Got my pending claim resolved in one call after the agent actually looked at my file. It was the best money I've ever spent to finally get my benefits paid! Check out their video too: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

Just keep calling them every day. Thats what i did. call first thing in the morning when they open. took me like 20 tries but i finally got connected to someone who could actually help. the high priority unit thing is real but they are slammed with cases right now.

I've been dealing with NY unemployment for MONTHS and I can tell you that 'high priority unit' means absolutely nothing. It's a black hole where claims go to die. Your best bet is to call your state representative's office and have them inquire about your claim. That's the only thing that finally got mine moving after 12 weeks of 'pending'.

The high priority unit is real BUT they're prioritizing certain types of claims first. I was told by an insider that anything with identity verification issues gets pushed to the back of the line. Did they mention anything about needing to verify your identity?

I understand what your going through. My claim was pending for 11 weeks. I finally broke down and found this service at claimyr.com that got me a call back from an actual agent. The agent told me my claim was stuck because my former employer contested it, but she was able to push it through after I explained the situation. Talking to an agent got my $ unlocked so fast after months of stress. Before that I was calling 50+ times a day with no success.

So here's a comprehensive breakdown of what's likely happening with your claim based on my experience working with many NY unemployment cases (I'm not affiliated with NYSDOL, just have helped many people through this): When a claim gets sent to the 'high priority unit' it typically means one of several things: 1. There's a discrepancy between your reported information and employer records 2. Your claim has been flagged for additional review due to unusual circumstances 3. There's a technical glitch that's preventing automatic processing 4. Your claim has been in the system too long without resolution Here's what you should do: - Absolutely continue certifying weekly as instructed - Call back at least once per week to check status (if you can't get through, try claimyr.com - they solve the hold time problem) - Contact your state assembly representative's office - Check your online message center AND physical mail daily - Make sure your contact information is 100% up to date In my experience, these 'high priority' claims typically take 2-3 weeks to resolve once escalated, but that varies widely. Whatever you do, don't stop certifying, as you'll eventually get backpay for all properly certified weeks once approved. Stay persistent. The system is frustrating but it does eventually work if you keep advocating for yourself.

Don't hold ur breath waiting for them to call you lol. That 518 number is legit but they have like 3 people working there for the whole state. Keep calling the main number.

Have you checked if your former employer is contesting your claim? That happened to me and it caused a 2 month delay. You can call and specifically ask if there's an employer dispute.

The ny unemployment system is complete garbage. I was in the same situation last year. Only thing that worked was calling my state senator's office and having them intervene. Fixed in 3 days after months of waiting.

Forget calling... go to an actual unemployment office in person if you can. They can't ignore you when you're standing in front of them. Worked for me after 2 months of phone hell.

Anyone notice how they always say "high priority" but nothing ever happens? I swear they just say that to everyone to get them off the phone. Been waiting 3 months with no update after being told the same thing.

If your waiting for ny unemployment to call YOU, your gonna be waiting till the end of time 😅 They never call back. I was given the runaround for 5 months before getting help.

Hi I actually work for a local govt office (not unemployment) and deal with this often. The escalation to high priority is real but severely backlogged. Your claim isn't lost, but without additional pressure it could take 4-6 weeks to be reviewed. Call your state assembly member TODAY - they can usually get it expedited within a week through special channels.

Took me FOREVER to get a human when calling unemployment. I finally used that claimyr service (claimyr.com) that calls and waits on hold for you. Got a real person who actually looked at my file and found out my claim was stuck because of a simple data entry error they made. It was the only way I could talk to a live agent after weeks of trying. All my backpay came through 3 days later.

This may sound weird but try calling right at 7:58am (2 mins before they officially open). Sometimes you get through to the queue before everyone else starts calling at 8:00am on the dot.

Its total BS they make people wait months for benefits. Not everyone has savings to coast on. The whole system needs an overhaul.