My brother did this and got his benefits no problem. The voluntary part doesn't matter - what matters is WHY the layoff happened. If it's because the company needs to reduce headcount, you're good. Just document everything!

I actually just went through the NYS Department of Labor website and their handbook specifically mentions that voluntary layoffs are eligible for benefits as long as the separation is due to "lack of work" on the employer's part. The key is that you're not quitting your job - you're accepting an offer to be laid off because the company needs to reduce staff. I'd recommend calling the Department of Labor directly at 1-888-209-8124 to confirm your specific situation, especially if your severance package has any unusual terms. Also make sure to file your claim as soon as your last day of work, don't wait!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now and this thread is honestly a lifesaver! Been trying to find my claim status for 4 days and was getting so frustrated. Based on everyone's suggestions here, I'm going to try the "My Online Services" → "Unemployment Insurance Online" → "Account Summary" path and check multiple sections since apparently the info can show up in different places. The timeline info is super helpful too - sounds like 7-10+ business days is normal even though the website doesn't tell you that anywhere 🤦‍♀️ Definitely going to check my Messages inbox as well since so many people found important updates there. Thanks everyone for sharing your exact navigation steps, this is way more useful than any official help docs! Will keep doing my weekly certs while I wait 🤞

I just went through this exact same nightmare a couple months ago and totally feel everyone's pain here! The NY unemployment website is seriously the worst designed site ever. What finally worked for me after trying literally everything was this specific path: Log into NY.gov → "My Online Services" → "Unemployment Insurance Online" → then you HAVE to check multiple places because they randomly scatter your info everywhere: "Account Summary," "View Payment History," "Monetary Determination Status," AND "Claim Details." Your actual status might show up in one section but not the others for absolutely no reason 🤦‍♀️ Also super important - check your "Messages" or "Correspondence" inbox because they love hiding critical updates there instead of putting them somewhere obvious! Timeline wise, mine took exactly 9 business days to appear anywhere on the site even though I was checking obsessively every single day. Keep doing those weekly certifications while you wait though - that part is crucial even if your claim is still showing pending! If you're still not finding anything after 2 weeks, definitely call them first thing Monday morning around 8am (best chance of getting through) or try that claimyr service people mentioned. The whole system is absolutely broken but hang in there, your status is buried somewhere in that confusing maze! 🤞

Just wanted to add my voice to this thread as someone who's been dealing with the exact same issues for the past 3 weeks. The NY unemployment system is completely broken right now - I've made over 90 calls with nothing but busy signals, and the website crashes every single time I try to certify. It's absolutely maddening when you're already stressed about being unemployed and then can't even access the benefits you've paid into. Thank you so much to everyone who's shared their experiences and solutions here! This thread has been like finding a treasure map when you're lost in a maze. I'm definitely going to try that automated phone certification number (1-888-581-5812) tomorrow morning at 6am, along with @Aaron's button sequence strategy (1, then 6, then 1). If those don't work, the Claimyr service seems to be the last resort that actually gets results. It's honestly disgusting that we need an entire community support network just to access basic unemployment benefits, but I'm so grateful this exists when the official system completely abandons us. Reading about everyone's eventual success gives me hope that persistence will eventually pay off. The financial anxiety is real when your safety net is broken, but we're all in this together! Will definitely update if any of these methods work for me.

I'm dealing with this exact same nightmare right now and honestly, finding this thread feels like discovering a lifeline! I've been stuck trying to certify for the past 2 weeks with constant website crashes and have made probably 60+ calls with nothing but busy signals or that automated system that just hangs up on me. The stress of being unemployed and then not being able to access the benefits system is just overwhelming. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful though - I'm definitely going to try that automated phone certification number (1-888-581-5812) that @Aaron shared first thing tomorrow morning, along with the early morning calling strategy at 6am. It's absolutely ridiculous that we need to become system experts just to access our own benefits, but I'm so grateful everyone is sharing what actually works. The financial anxiety is so real when you're already struggling and then the safety net itself is broken. But seeing so many people eventually break through this mess gives me hope that persistence will pay off. This community support has been amazing when the official system completely fails us. I'll definitely update if any of these methods work for me - fingers crossed!

Just wanted to add my recent experience for anyone still following this thread. I was in the exact same situation as Felicity - had an "outstanding issue" on my claim for about 3 weeks and couldn't get through on the phone. After reading all the suggestions here, I decided to try multiple approaches at once. I scheduled a virtual appointment (got one for 2 weeks out) and also tried Claimyr the same day. The Claimyr service got me through in about 45 minutes, and the agent identified that my issue was related to a work search requirement that wasn't properly documented in their system. She was able to clear it immediately and my payments resumed within 2 days. I ended up canceling the virtual appointment since the issue was resolved. For anyone dealing with this - definitely try Claimyr first since it's much faster than waiting for appointments. The service fee was worth not having to stress about bills for another 2+ weeks. Also learned that these "outstanding issues" are often technical glitches or missing documentation rather than actual problems with your eligibility. Hope this helps someone else avoid the weeks of anxiety I went through!

I've been lurking on this thread because I'm dealing with the exact same "outstanding issue" problem that everyone's describing. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly helpful - it's reassuring to know I'm not alone in this nightmare! Based on what I'm seeing here, it sounds like Claimyr might be my best bet since multiple people have had success with it. I'm hesitant about the service fee when money's already tight, but if it can get me connected to an agent in under an hour versus waiting 2-3 weeks for an appointment, it seems worth it. Has anyone who used Claimyr had any issues with the service itself? Also wondering if there's a best time of day to try calling through them - I know the regular NYSDOL lines are supposedly less busy early morning or late afternoon. Really appreciate everyone sharing their stories here - it's given me hope that this can actually be resolved relatively quickly!

I've been reading through this entire thread while dealing with my own NY unemployment phone struggles, and wow - the collective wisdom here is incredible! I've been trying to get through for 5 days about a benefit amount discrepancy and getting nowhere with the usual "high call volume" runaround. Based on all the success stories shared here, I'm going to try the Tuesday/Wednesday 2:15-2:45 PM window that so many people have mentioned, using my office landline instead of my cell phone. The 45-second callback timing strategy is such a clever detail - it's amazing how precise we have to be just to work around a broken system! I'm also going to start that call tracking log approach to identify patterns like others suggested. It's both maddening and reassuring to see this is such a widespread issue affecting so many of us. This thread has given me actual hope and concrete strategies instead of just random attempts. Thank you everyone for sharing such detailed, practical advice - this community support is exactly what we all need when dealing with such a frustrating bureaucratic nightmare!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I've been struggling to get through to NY unemployment for almost 2 weeks about a claim status issue, and reading everyone's detailed strategies has given me so much hope. The specific timing windows that multiple people have shared (especially that Tuesday/Wednesday 2:15-2:45 PM sweet spot) are incredibly helpful - much better than my random calling attempts throughout the day. I'm definitely going to try the landline approach and that clever 45-second callback timing strategy. It's both frustrating and oddly comforting to see this is such a widespread problem affecting so many people. The call tracking log idea is brilliant too - I wish I had started documenting my attempts from the beginning instead of just getting increasingly frustrated. Thank you all for turning what felt like an impossible situation into something manageable with real, tested strategies. This community support means everything when you're dealing with such a broken system!