Won my NYS Department of Labor unemployment appeal - what happens next?
Just got the decision letter that I won my unemployment appeal! This whole thing started 8 weeks ago when they denied my claim saying I quit without good cause (which wasn't true - my hours got cut to basically nothing and I had no choice). The hearing was last Tuesday and today I got the favorable decision. But now I'm confused about what I'm supposed to do next. Do I need to file new weekly claims? Will I get back pay for all the weeks I was denied? The letter doesn't really explain the next steps clearly. Has anyone been through this process before?
13 comments
Join the conversation
Alana Willis
Congratulations on winning your appeal! Here's what should happen: NYS Department of Labor will automatically process your back pay for all the weeks you were denied, but it can take 2-3 weeks to show up. You need to continue filing your weekly claims as normal - don't stop certifying just because you won. If you missed any weekly certifications during the appeal process, you might need to request backdating for those weeks. Check your online account in a few days to see if your claim status has been updated to 'payable.
0 coins
Justin Trejo
•Thank you! I kept filing my weekly claims even during the appeal so hopefully that helps. I'll keep checking my account for the back pay.
0 coins
Tyler Murphy
I won my appeal last year and it took about 10 business days for the back pay to hit my account. The tricky part was that some of my old weekly claims were stuck in 'pending' status even after I won. I had to call NYS Department of Labor to get those released manually. If you don't see movement in your account after 2 weeks, definitely call them.
0 coins
Sara Unger
•Good luck getting through on the phone though! I've been trying to reach someone for a week about my adjudication issue and can't get past the busy signal.
0 coins
Tyler Murphy
•Yeah the phone system is terrible. I actually used a service called Claimyr that gets you through to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent automatically. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling.
0 coins
Butch Sledgehammer
FINALLY some good news on this forum! The appeal process is such a nightmare but so worth it when you win. Make sure you keep copies of everything - the decision letter, your hearing transcripts if you can get them, all of it. Sometimes NYS Department of Labor makes 'mistakes' and tries to reverse favorable decisions later. Not saying it will happen but better safe than sorry.
0 coins
Justin Trejo
•Oh wow I didn't know they could reverse decisions. I'll definitely keep everything organized just in case.
0 coins
Freya Ross
congrats!! how long did the whole appeal take from start to finish? im in the middle of appealing my disqualification right now and its been 6 weeks already
0 coins
Justin Trejo
•It took about 8 weeks total from when I filed the appeal to getting the decision. The actual hearing was scheduled pretty quickly but then it took another 3 weeks to get the written decision. Hang in there!
0 coins
Leslie Parker
This gives me hope! I'm waiting for my appeal hearing date still. Did you have to provide a lot of documentation or was it mostly just your testimony? I'm worried I don't have enough evidence to prove my case.
0 coins
Justin Trejo
•I brought everything I could think of - text messages from my manager about the hour cuts, my work schedule showing the reduction, bank statements showing I couldn't survive on the reduced income. The administrative law judge seemed to appreciate having documentation to back up what I was saying.
0 coins
Andre Laurent
•@aa5de8e68cf8 That's really helpful advice about bringing documentation! I have some emails from HR and my paystubs showing the income drop, so I'll make sure to organize all of that. Did the hearing feel intimidating or was the judge pretty understanding?
0 coins
Dmitry Smirnov
•@aa5de8e68cf8 The hearing wasn't as scary as I thought it would be! The administrative law judge was actually pretty professional and seemed genuinely interested in getting to the facts. They asked straightforward questions and gave both sides a chance to explain their position. Just be honest and stick to the facts - having your documentation organized like Justin mentioned really does help your credibility.
0 coins