Who approves unemployment claims at NYS Department of Labor - confused about the process
I'm really confused about who actually makes the decision on unemployment claims. I filed my initial claim 2 weeks ago and it's been sitting in pending status. When I call the NYS Department of Labor phone line, they just say someone will review it but they won't tell me who or when. Is it an automated system? A specific person? A department? I keep seeing different answers online and I just want to understand who I'm waiting for to approve my claim so I know what to expect.
10 comments
Join the conversation
Zara Malik
Your unemployment claim goes through several stages at NYS Department of Labor. Initially, it's processed by the claims processing unit who verify your employment history and earnings. If there are no issues, it gets approved automatically. But if there are questions about your separation reason, job search requirements, or eligibility, it goes to an adjudication specialist who manually reviews everything and makes the final determination.
0 coins
Sean Kelly
•Thank you! Do you know how long adjudication usually takes? My employer hasn't responded to their request for information yet.
0 coins
Luca Greco
its whoever is working that day lol took me 3 weeks to get approved because they said my job search wasnt good enough even though i was doing everything right
0 coins
Nia Thompson
The adjudication process can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks depending on how complicated your case is. If your employer doesn't respond within 10 days, NYS Department of Labor will make a decision based on the information they have. You can check your claim status on the my.ny.gov portal but calling them is pretty much useless - I've had better luck using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually gets you through to real agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works.
0 coins
Mateo Rodriguez
•Wait really? I've been trying to call for days and keep getting hung up on. How does that service work exactly?
0 coins
Nia Thompson
•Basically they handle the calling part for you and get you connected to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent. Way better than sitting on hold for hours or getting disconnected.
0 coins
Aisha Hussain
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A JOKE! They have people making decisions who don't understand basic employment law. I got denied because some clerk thought I quit when I was actually laid off. Had to go through the whole appeal process just to get someone with a brain to look at my case.
0 coins
GalacticGladiator
•Sorry that happened to you! The appeals process definitely works though - just takes forever unfortunately.
0 coins
Ethan Brown
I think it depends on your situation honestly. Mine got approved in like a week because it was straightforward - got laid off from my restaurant job when they closed permanently. But my friend who got fired is still waiting after a month because they're investigating whether it was misconduct or not.
0 coins
Sofia Torres
From my experience, the decision makers are adjudication specialists who are trained staff members at NYS Department of Labor. They handle cases that need manual review - things like disputed separations, eligibility questions, or when employers contest claims. The automated system only handles straightforward cases where everything checks out immediately. Since you're at 2 weeks pending, you're likely in the manual review queue. I'd recommend documenting everything about your job separation and keeping records of your job search activities just in case they need additional info. The waiting is frustrating but try to be patient - they do eventually get through all the cases.
0 coins