Why does it take so long for unemployment to be approved by NYS Department of Labor?
I filed my unemployment claim 5 weeks ago and I'm still waiting for approval. My status just says 'under review' and I haven't heard anything from NYS Department of Labor. I lost my job through no fault of my own (company downsized) so I don't understand what's taking so long. I've been doing my weekly claims but still no payments. Is this normal? Why does the approval process take forever?
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Mason Lopez
The approval timeline varies depending on several factors. NYS Department of Labor has to verify your employment history, wages, and reason for separation. If there are any discrepancies or if your employer disputes the claim, it goes into adjudication which can take 4-8 weeks. They're also dealing with high volume right now.
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Demi Lagos
•How do I know if my employer disputed it? I haven't received any notice about that.
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Vera Visnjic
same boat here, filed 6 weeks ago and still nothing!! this is ridiculous, i need money to pay my bills not sit around waiting for them to figure it out
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Jake Sinclair
Check your my.ny.gov account for any pending issues that need your attention. Sometimes they request additional documentation but the notification gets buried. Also make sure you're completing your weekly certifications even while waiting - you can't get backpay for weeks you didn't claim.
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Demi Lagos
•I've been checking daily and doing my weekly claims. No pending issues showing up.
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Brielle Johnson
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone, I found this service called Claimyr that actually got me connected to an agent. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I was skeptical at first but it saved me hours of calling and getting disconnected.
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Demi Lagos
•Thanks, I'll check that out. The phone lines are impossible to get through on.
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Honorah King
The system is just broken. I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for months on different issues and they're completely overwhelmed. Five weeks is unfortunately becoming the new normal for approval times.
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Oliver Brown
Keep filing your weekly claims! That's super important even if you haven't been approved yet.
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