Why is my unemployment still pending after 2 weeks with NYS Department of Labor?
Filed my initial claim with NYS Department of Labor two weeks ago and it's still showing as pending on my.ny.gov. I lost my job at a warehouse in Buffalo due to layoffs and thought this would be straightforward. I've been certifying my weekly claims but haven't received any payments yet. The status just says 'claim pending' with no other details. Is this normal or should I be worried? I really need these benefits to start coming through soon.
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Sofia Torres
Two weeks is actually pretty standard for initial claims to process. NYS Department of Labor has to verify your employment history and wages with your former employer. Have you checked if there are any outstanding issues in your online account that need attention? Sometimes there's a section that shows if they need additional documentation.
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Dylan Campbell
•I checked and don't see any issues listed. Should I call them or just keep waiting?
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Dmitry Sokolov
mine took 3 weeks last year, just keep filing your weekly claims even while its pending or you'll lose those weeks
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Ava Martinez
If you're really concerned about the delay, there's a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that can help you get through to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent. I used them when my claim got stuck and they have this video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. Way better than sitting on hold for hours just to get disconnected.
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Miguel Ramos
•Never heard of that but honestly anything beats trying to call NYS Department of Labor directly. That phone system is a nightmare.
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QuantumQuasar
OMG YES this is so stressful!! I'm in the same boat and keep refreshing my account every day hoping something changes. What if they deny it?? I don't know what I'll do about rent and bills. Did you have any issues with your previous employer that might cause problems?
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Dylan Campbell
•No issues with my employer, it was a clean layoff. Trying not to panic but it's hard when bills are due.
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Zainab Omar
The NYS Department of Labor system is BROKEN. They make you jump through hoops and then take forever to process anything. I've been dealing with them for months on an overpayment issue and it's been nothing but runaround after runaround. Good luck getting any real help from their customer service.
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Sofia Torres
•While the system definitely has issues, most routine claims do get processed within 2-4 weeks. The overpayment stuff is a different department and much more complicated.
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Connor Gallagher
Just an update - mine finally went through after 3 weeks and I got back pay for all the weeks I certified. Hang in there!
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GamerGirl99
I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago after getting laid off from my job in Rochester. The waiting is absolutely brutal, especially when you're watching bills pile up. What helped me was setting up automatic payments or payment plans with my utilities and landlord while waiting - most companies are understanding if you explain you're waiting on unemployment. Also make sure you're documenting everything - screenshot your weekly certifications and keep records of when you filed. That 2-3 week timeframe seems to be the norm unfortunately, but like Connor said, you should get backpay for all the weeks you've been certifying once it goes through.
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