Why haven't I received my unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor yet?
Filed my initial claim with NYS Department of Labor about 2 weeks ago and still haven't gotten any payments. My online account shows my claim is active but the payment history is completely blank. I've been certifying my weekly claims but nothing is showing up in my bank account. Is this normal or should I be worried? I really need these benefits to pay rent this month.
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Oliver Zimmermann
Check if your claim is in adjudication. That's usually why payments get held up. Log into your my.ny.gov account and look for any messages or requests for additional information.
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Amina Toure
•I don't see any messages about adjudication but there's a section that says 'pending eligibility review' - is that the same thing?
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Natasha Volkova
Pending eligibility review means they're verifying your work history and earnings. This can take 2-4 weeks depending on how backed up they are. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while waiting or you'll lose those weeks.
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Amina Toure
•Ok good to know! I was wondering if I should stop filing since I'm not getting paid anyway. Thanks for the tip.
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Javier Torres
ugh the same thing happened to me last year!! took almost a month before i got my first payment but then they paid me for all the weeks i had filed. the waiting is the worst part especially when you need the money
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Emma Davis
If you need to speak with someone at NYS Department of Labor about your claim status, I had good luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I was able to find out exactly why my claim was delayed and what I needed to do to speed it up.
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Amina Toure
•Is that service legit? I'm hesitant to use third party stuff for my unemployment claim.
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Emma Davis
•Yeah it's real, they just help you get through the phone system faster. I was skeptical too but after trying to call NYS Department of Labor myself for days I was willing to try anything.
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CosmicCaptain
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A JOKE!!! They make you jump through hoops and then take forever to pay you. I waited 6 weeks for my first payment and when I finally got someone on the phone they acted like it was MY fault for not providing some document I was never asked for.
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Malik Johnson
same boat here, been waiting 3 weeks
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Connor O'Neill
I'm in a similar situation - filed 3 weeks ago and still waiting for my first payment. The anxiety is real when you're counting on these benefits to survive. One thing that helped me was calling the automated system (1-888-209-8124) to check my claim status without having to wait on hold for an agent. It at least confirmed my weekly certifications were being processed correctly. Hang in there, from what I'm reading here it sounds like the wait is unfortunately normal but the payments do eventually come through retroactively.
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Avery Flores
•Thanks for sharing that automated number! I didn't know about that option. Just called it and it confirmed my weekly certs are going through properly. Still nerve-wracking waiting for that first payment but it's reassuring to know others are in the same boat and eventually get their money. Hopefully we'll all see our payments soon!
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Katherine Hunter
I'm going through the exact same thing right now - filed my claim 2.5 weeks ago and still no payments despite certifying weekly. My account also shows "pending eligibility review" status. It's really stressful when you're depending on these benefits to cover basic expenses. From reading everyone's experiences here, it sounds like this waiting period is unfortunately the norm rather than the exception. I've been documenting everything and keeping copies of all my certifications just in case. Has anyone found that contacting their local career center helps speed things up at all?
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Sean Kelly
•I haven't tried contacting the local career center yet but that's a good idea! I'm dealing with the same situation - filed about 2 weeks ago and still waiting. The "pending eligibility review" status seems to be pretty common from what everyone's saying here. I've also been keeping copies of everything just in case. It's frustrating when you're already stressed about finances and then have to wait weeks just to get the benefits you're entitled to. Let me know if the career center route works out for you!
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Zoe Papanikolaou
I'm dealing with this exact same situation - filed my claim about 10 days ago and my account also shows "pending eligibility review" with no payments yet. It's honestly a relief to see I'm not alone in this, though I wish none of us had to go through it. The stress of waiting for benefits when you need them to pay bills is really overwhelming. I've been calling that automated line Connor mentioned (1-888-209-8124) every few days just to confirm my certifications are going through properly. From what everyone's sharing here, it sounds like we just have to be patient even though it's really hard when rent is due. Definitely going to keep filing those weekly claims no matter what - thanks for that advice Natasha! Hoping we all see our payments soon.
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