What does waiting period served mean for unemployment claim status?
I just checked my claim status on my.ny.gov and it shows 'waiting period served' next to my weekly certification. I filed my initial claim about 6 weeks ago and have been certifying every week. Does this mean I'm finally going to get paid? I'm honestly confused because I thought the waiting period was only supposed to be one week but it's been way longer than that. Can someone explain what this status actually means?
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Andre Lefebvre
The 'waiting period served' status means you've completed the mandatory one-week waiting period that NYS Department of Labor requires before benefits can be paid. This waiting period is unpaid - it's essentially the first week after you file where you're eligible but don't receive benefits. Once you see this status, your subsequent weekly certifications should be processed for payment assuming there are no other issues with your claim.
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Carmen Ruiz
•Thank you! So does that mean the 6 weeks I've been waiting was because of other issues, not the waiting period? I'm still showing pending on my recent certifications.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
yeah i had the same thing happen, took forever to see that waiting period served message but once it showed up my payments started coming through within a few days
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Jamal Anderson
If you're still showing pending after the waiting period is served, there might be an adjudication issue or identity verification holding up your claim. Check if there are any outstanding items in your correspondence section or if you need to upload additional documents. Sometimes the NYS Department of Labor needs employer verification or has questions about your job separation that can delay payments even after the waiting period.
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Carmen Ruiz
•I don't see anything in my correspondence but I'll double check. Should I try calling them or is there a better way to find out what's holding it up?
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Mei Wong
•Good luck getting through on the phone! I've been trying for weeks. I actually found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to a NYS Department of Labor agent when I couldn't reach them myself. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Might be worth trying if you keep getting the busy signal.
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QuantumQuasar
The waiting period thing is so confusing!! I thought it meant you had to wait a period of time but apparently it's just one specific week that doesn't get paid? The NYS Department of Labor website could really explain this better.
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Liam McGuire
UGH this whole system is ridiculous. They make you jump through hoops for weeks and then act like they're doing you a favor when they finally process what you're entitled to. The 'waiting period served' should show up immediately after your first week, not after 6 weeks of bureaucratic delays!
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Amara Eze
•I feel your frustration but the waiting period and processing delays are two different things. The waiting period is just policy, the long delays are usually because of verification or adjudication issues.
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Sean O'Brien
I went through the exact same thing! "Waiting period served" is actually a good sign - it means you've officially completed that mandatory unpaid week. The confusing part is that the 6 weeks you waited wasn't because of the waiting period itself, but likely due to processing delays or verification issues. Once you see that status, payments usually start flowing for your subsequent weeks. Keep certifying weekly and check if there are any outstanding requests for documents in your account. If you're still seeing "pending" after a few more days, there might be an adjudication issue that needs to be resolved. The system is definitely not user-friendly about explaining these statuses!
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Henrietta Beasley
•This is super helpful, thank you! I'm definitely going to keep an eye on my account over the next few days. It's reassuring to know that "waiting period served" is actually progress. The whole process has been so stressful not knowing what each status means or if something is wrong with my claim. I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here - it makes me feel less alone in dealing with this confusing system.
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Yara Assad
I'm going through something similar right now! Just saw "waiting period served" appear on my account yesterday after about 5 weeks of waiting. Like others mentioned, it's definitely a positive step forward. One thing that helped me was logging into the system at different times of day - sometimes the status updates aren't immediate. Also, if you haven't already, make sure you're checking both the "Payment History" and "Claim Summary" sections because sometimes information appears in one before the other. The whole system really could use better communication about what these statuses mean and what to expect next. Fingers crossed we both see payments soon!
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Ryan Andre
•Thanks for sharing your experience! It's so helpful to hear from someone going through the same thing right now. I didn't know about checking both the "Payment History" and "Claim Summary" sections - I've mainly been looking at just the main claim status page. I'll definitely start checking those other sections too. It's crazy how they don't explain anywhere what to expect after you see "waiting period served" or give you any kind of timeline. Really hoping we both get our payments processed soon! This whole waiting game is exhausting.
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Abigail Spencer
I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! Just saw "waiting period served" show up on my account after what felt like forever. From what I've learned lurking in this community, it sounds like that one-week waiting period is separate from all the other processing delays we've been experiencing. I've been certifying weekly like clockwork but still seeing "pending" on my recent weeks too. It's frustrating because you'd think once the waiting period is done, payments would just start automatically. Has anyone had luck figuring out if there's a way to see what specific issue might be holding up the actual payments? The whole system feels like a black box where you just have to wait and hope for the best.
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Tate Jensen
•I'm in the exact same boat! Just joined this community because I'm going through this frustrating process too. The "waiting period served" status appeared for me yesterday after about 6 weeks of uncertainty. From reading through everyone's experiences here, it sounds like we're finally making progress, even though it doesn't feel like it when those recent weeks are still showing "pending." I've been checking my account obsessively every day hoping to see some movement. It's really comforting to know I'm not alone in this confusing system - everyone's explanations here are way more helpful than anything I could find on the official DOL website. Hopefully we'll both see actual payments soon rather than just status updates!
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