Just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who shared actual working solutions in this thread! 🙏 I was about to give up completely after 2 weeks of phone hell, but thanks to all your tips I finally got through! Used the secure messaging feature in the app that @Connor Richards mentioned - got a response in 6 hours and they resolved my card issue without any phone calls. Also tried the lunch hour + press 0 combo from @Aisha Abdullah and @Chloe Martin as backup and that worked too when I needed to follow up. It's honestly ridiculous that we had to crowdsource these solutions ourselves, but this community is incredible for having each other's backs. Bookmarking this thread forever - it's basically the Way2Go customer service bible now 😂💯

This thread is absolutely incredible! I've been struggling with the exact same issue for over a week and was starting to think I'd never reach a real person. Reading through all these solutions has given me so much hope - the secure messaging through the app, the lunch hour timing, pressing 0 immediately, and even the callback feature I had no idea existed! It's honestly mind-blowing that we've had to reverse engineer their customer service system ourselves, but this community is pure gold for sharing what actually works. Already downloaded the app and found that buried secure message feature. Planning to try the lunch hour + press 0 combo tomorrow as backup. Thank you all for turning this nightmare into something manageable! 🙏✨

I work as a benefits counselor and see this situation frequently. You're absolutely right to apply now even though it's been a couple months. NYS Department of Labor is pretty forgiving with late applications - the one year filing window gives people flexibility for situations exactly like yours. Since you were fired rather than laid off, make sure you have any documentation about the circumstances ready in case they request it during the adjudication process. The fact that you didn't think you qualified initially is actually a common reason people cite for delayed filing, and the department understands that the eligibility rules aren't always clear to applicants. Good luck with your application!

I was in a very similar situation - got fired in September but didn't apply until December because I thought being terminated disqualified me automatically. Turns out that's a huge misconception! The NYS Department of Labor actually approved my claim after adjudication because my firing was due to a restructuring situation, not misconduct. The hardest part was just getting started with the application on ny.gov, but once I did it was pretty straightforward. You definitely won't get those October-December weeks back, but don't let that stop you from filing now. Every week you delay is another week of potential benefits lost going forward. I'd also recommend keeping detailed notes about your termination circumstances since they'll likely ask follow-up questions during the review process.

I just went through this process myself a few weeks ago and wanted to share what finally worked for me. After trying all the suggestions here, I found my 2023 records by going to my.ny.gov, then Unemployment Services, and clicking on "Claimant Services" rather than the main payment history section. From there, I selected "View/Print Payment History" and there was a dropdown to select the tax year - make sure you select "2023 Tax Year" not just "2023" as they're listed differently. The report it generates includes everything broken down by week with gross amounts, deductions, and net payments, plus a summary page at the end that totals everything up perfectly for tax purposes. If you're still having issues, try using Internet Explorer or Edge - I know it sounds old-school but the NYS system seems to work more reliably with Microsoft browsers for some reason. The whole process took about 10 minutes once I found the right section, and the PDF downloaded cleanly with all the formatting intact.

I went through this same process recently and wanted to add one more tip that helped me. If you're still having trouble finding your 2023 records after trying all these great suggestions, check if you need to update your browser or disable pop-up blockers. The NYS system sometimes blocks the PDF downloads if your browser settings are too restrictive. Also, I noticed that the system occasionally shows different menu options depending on whether you access it through my.ny.gov directly or through the Department of Labor website first - try both entry points if one isn't working. Once I got to the right section, I was able to download a complete year-end summary that had everything my tax preparer needed, including weekly breakdowns and total withholdings. The key is being patient with the system and trying different browsers/times of day if you run into issues.

Different claims process at different speeds depending on your employment history and reason for separation. If you were laid off from a straightforward job, approval is usually quick. If you quit, were fired, or had multiple employers, it takes longer for them to verify everything. The important thing is to keep filing your weekly claims and respond promptly to any requests for additional information.

I went through this same situation a few months ago and the waiting is definitely nerve-wracking! One thing that helped me was setting up direct deposit if you haven't already - once you're approved, payments come faster that way than waiting for debit cards or checks. Also, make sure you're checking both your my.ny.gov messages AND your physical mail regularly. Sometimes the approval letter shows up in one place before the other. In my case, I saw the approval in my online account a day before the letter arrived. Hang in there - 10 days is still within the normal timeframe, especially if you were laid off for straightforward reasons.

I'm new to this community but this thread is exactly what I needed to see! I've been on unemployment for about 2 weeks after my retail management position was eliminated, and I've been feeling pretty lost about what to do next. The idea of CDL training honestly never occurred to me, but reading through everyone's experiences here makes it sound like a really viable path forward. I love that you can potentially keep your benefits during training - that would make such a huge difference for me financially. I'm definitely going to start researching trucking jobs in my area this week and then contact my local One-Stop Career Center. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and advice - this community is incredibly helpful for someone just starting to navigate the unemployment system!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm about 4 weeks into unemployment after being laid off from my job at a logistics company, and I had no idea about the WIOA program until reading all these responses. The fact that you can potentially keep your unemployment benefits while doing CDL training is a game-changer for me. I actually have some experience with freight and shipping from my previous job, so trucking feels like a natural next step. I'm going to call my local One-Stop Career Center this week to get the ball rolling. One thing I'm wondering about - has anyone dealt with getting training approved if you have a clean driving record but maybe a couple of minor traffic violations from several years ago? I'm worried that might hurt my chances of approval, even though they're pretty old at this point.