Why am I not getting unemployment payments from NYS Department of Labor?
Filed my unemployment claim with NYS Department of Labor about 6 weeks ago and I'm still not receiving any payments. My claim status shows as 'pending' but there's no clear explanation of what's holding it up. I've been doing my weekly claims religiously and even completed my job search requirements. Called the NYS Department of Labor multiple times but either get busy signals or get disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. This is really frustrating because I need these payments to cover rent and utilities. Has anyone else experienced this kind of delay? What could be causing my payments to be held up?
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Sean O'Brien
Pending status usually means your claim is in adjudication. This happens when NYS Department of Labor needs to verify information about your separation from work, eligibility, or work search activities. Check your my.ny.gov account for any outstanding questionnaires or documents they might need. Sometimes there's a separation issue questionnaire that needs to be completed.
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Anastasia Smirnova
•I checked and don't see any questionnaires. My account just says pending with no additional info. How long does adjudication usually take?
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Zara Shah
same thing happened to me took like 8 weeks before i got paid but when i did get it they paid everything from the beginning so you'll get backpay for all the weeks you certified
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Anastasia Smirnova
•8 weeks?! I can't wait that long. Did they ever tell you what the holdup was?
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Zara Shah
•nope never got an explanation just started getting payments one day
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Luca Bianchi
If you can't get through to NYS Department of Labor by phone, try using Claimyr at claimyr.com. They helped me get connected to an actual agent when I was having issues with my claim status. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way easier than sitting on hold for hours and getting disconnected.
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GalacticGuardian
•Is that one of those services that charges you? I'm already broke waiting for my unemployment.
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Luca Bianchi
•They do charge but it's worth it when you need answers about your claim. Much better than losing entire days trying to get through on your own.
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Nia Harris
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS BROKEN! I've been waiting 10 weeks for my appeal hearing and they keep rescheduling it. NYS Department of Labor doesn't care about people who actually need the money. They just want to delay everything hoping you'll give up and find work.
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Mateo Gonzalez
•That's awful but appeals are different from regular adjudication. OP's situation might resolve faster.
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Sean O'Brien
Also make sure you're meeting the job search requirements. NYS Department of Labor requires 3 work search activities per week and they do audit these. If your work search log isn't complete or doesn't meet their standards, they'll hold up payments until you provide proper documentation.
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Savannah Weiner
Have you tried contacting your local assembly member or state senator's office? They often have caseworkers who can help with NYS Department of Labor issues. I was stuck in pending status for 7 weeks and my assembly member's office got it resolved within 3 days after they made an inquiry. They have direct lines to the department that regular citizens don't have access to. You can find your representatives at nysenate.gov and assembly.state.ny.us - just enter your zip code.
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Mei Chen
I'm going through something similar right now - filed 4 weeks ago and still stuck in pending status. The waiting is really stressful when you have bills to pay. From what I've been reading online, it seems like NYS Department of Labor is severely backlogged and understaffed. One thing that might help is checking if you have any outstanding issues in your online account that aren't obvious - sometimes there are hidden notifications or requirements buried in the system. Also, if you were laid off or terminated, make sure your former employer isn't contesting your claim, as that can trigger the adjudication process. Hang in there - from what others are saying, the backpay should come through once it's finally processed.
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Alice Pierce
•That's really helpful advice about checking for hidden notifications! I never thought about my former employer potentially contesting the claim - how would I find out if that's what's happening? Is there a specific section in the my.ny.gov portal where that would show up? I was laid off due to company downsizing so I didn't think there would be any issues, but maybe something got flagged anyway.
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Connor O'Brien
•@Alice Pierce In your my.ny.gov account, look under View "and Maintain Account Information and" then check the Claim "Details section." If your employer is contesting, there should be a notice or flag indicating Separation "Issue or" Employer "Response Pending. You" can also check the Correspondence "section" for any letters from NYS Department of Labor about separation verification. Even with layoffs, employers sometimes contest claims if they think you were terminated for cause or if there s'confusion about the circumstances. If you don t'see anything obvious, try calling your former HR department to ask if they received any unemployment claim verification forms - sometimes they contest without realizing the impact it has on processing time.
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Pedro Sawyer
I went through this exact same situation last year and it was incredibly frustrating. After 5 weeks of pending status with no explanation, I finally got through to someone at NYS Department of Labor who told me my claim was flagged for "quality review" - basically a random audit they do on new claims. The agent said this happens to about 20% of claims and there's nothing you can do to speed it up, you just have to wait it out. The good news is that once it's approved, you'll get all the back payments from when you first filed. In the meantime, I'd recommend documenting everything - save screenshots of your weekly certifications and keep records of your job search activities in case they ask for them later. Also check if you qualify for any emergency assistance programs in your county while you wait. I know it's not the answer you want to hear, but try to hang in there - it will eventually get resolved.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Thanks for sharing your experience Pedro! A "quality review" would explain why there's no clear reason showing up in my account. 20% seems like a pretty high rate for random audits - that's a lot of people stuck waiting. Did the agent give you any timeframe for how long these quality reviews typically take? I've been documenting everything like you suggested, but it's good to know that's the right approach. I'll look into emergency assistance programs in my area while I wait this out.
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Ellie Kim
I'm dealing with a similar situation - filed 5 weeks ago and my claim has been stuck in pending status with no explanation. What's really frustrating is that the NYS Department of Labor website doesn't give you any insight into what's actually causing the delay or how much longer it might take. I've tried calling dozens of times but like you said, it's nearly impossible to get through. The few times I did get connected, the agents couldn't give me any specific information about my case timeline. It's especially stressful when you're counting on these payments for basic expenses. Has anyone found any patterns in terms of what types of claims get stuck longer, or is it really just a random backlog issue? I'm trying to stay patient but it's getting harder each week that goes by without any communication from them.
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