Just went through this exact situation last month! My employer had 10 business days to respond to the initial claim, but they can actually dispute it much later too. What really matters is that you have that severance paperwork stating it was due to restructuring - that's golden. I'd recommend setting up text alerts through the NYS DOL website so you get notified immediately if there are any changes to your claim status. That way if they do try to dispute it later, you'll know right away and can respond quickly. Since it was a legitimate layoff with documentation, you're in a much better position than someone who got fired for cause.

The timing can definitely be stressful to navigate! In addition to what others have mentioned about the multiple dispute windows, I'd suggest documenting everything from your end too. Keep records of your job search activities, any communications with your former employer, and screenshots of your unemployment claim status. If your employer does try to dispute later, having a clear timeline of events will help your case. Also, since you mentioned getting severance - make sure you're reporting that correctly on your weekly certifications as it could affect your benefit timing. The fact that they gave you severance actually supports that it was a legitimate layoff rather than a termination for cause.

I'm dealing with the same thing! Just certified about an hour ago and saw that "processed next business day" message instead of the usual Monday timeline. I've been on NY unemployment for about 2 months now and this is my first time seeing this change - had me worried that something went wrong with my certification or that there was a system error. Reading through all these responses has been such a huge relief! I completely forgot that Monday is Presidents Day. It's actually pretty cool that the NYSDOL system automatically adjusts the processing timeline for federal holidays, even though it definitely causes some initial panic when you're not expecting it. Thanks to everyone who explained how this works - I'm going to save this thread and try to keep better track of upcoming holidays so I don't stress out next time this happens!

Just wanted to add my voice to everyone else's relief! I've been on NY unemployment for about 5 months and STILL got caught off guard by the Presidents Day delay. Certified around midnight last night and when I saw "processed next business day" my stomach dropped - thought for sure something was wrong with my claim! It's crazy how that one little message change can cause so much stress when you're depending on these payments. Really appreciate everyone explaining how the holiday processing works. The system is actually pretty smart to automatically adjust for banking holidays, but wow does it give you a heart attack the first time (or apparently even the fifth time) you see it! Going to start keeping better track of federal holidays so this doesn't surprise me again.

I'm dealing with this same EXACT situation right now!!! My payment was released Monday and still nothing in my account today (Thursday). Called NYSDOL and they said everything looks fine on their end and to just wait. So frustrating when the bills are piling up. Let me know when yours finally hits so I can get some hope lol

Hey there! I've been through this exact same situation with Varo and NY unemployment. From my experience, it usually takes 1-3 business days after the "released" status shows up. Since you mentioned it was released on the 15th (Tuesday), I'd expect to see it by today or tomorrow at the latest. The fact that this is your first payment (including backpay) might add an extra day or two to the process - the system sometimes takes longer to set up that initial direct deposit connection. I know the waiting is absolutely brutal when you've got bills breathing down your neck. If it doesn't show up by tomorrow, definitely give them a call just to make sure there are no issues with your banking info. But try not to stress too much - once it says "released" the money is definitely coming your way! Hang in there 💪

I just went through this exact process last month! You can definitely reopen your claim since it's only been 6 months. One tip that really helped me - when you log into my.ny.gov, if you don't see the "reopen claim" button right away, try clicking on "View Claim History" first, then the reopen option should appear. Also, have your recent pay stubs ready because they might ask for them to verify your employment dates. The whole process took about 10 days for me from reopening to getting my first payment. Good luck!

I'm in a similar situation - my job ended 2 weeks ago after 8 months of employment, and I had about 4 months left on my original claim when I started working. Reading through these responses has been super helpful! Just wanted to add that when I called the DOL yesterday (took 3 hours to get through), they confirmed that you should definitely reopen rather than file new if you're within your benefit year. The agent also mentioned that if you worked full-time for more than 10 weeks, they might need to do an earnings review to see if your weekly benefit amount changes, but the process is still faster than starting over. Planning to reopen mine tomorrow - fingers crossed it goes smoothly!

@Dylan Fisher - I was in the same boat when I started my first job! It's really confusing because we're so used to seeing all these deductions that you naturally assume unemployment would be one of them. The key thing to remember is that unemployment insurance is essentially insurance that your employer buys to protect their workforce - kind of like how they might provide health insurance or workers' comp. The NYS Department of Labor collects these employer contributions and uses them to fund the whole unemployment benefits system. So when you or a coworker eventually needs to file a claim, those benefits are coming from a pool of money that employers across the state have been paying into, not from your individual contributions.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who recently went through the NY unemployment system - it's definitely confusing at first! Like everyone else said, you won't see unemployment deductions on your paystub because employers pay 100% of those taxes. When I was laid off last year, I was surprised to learn that I was eligible for benefits even though I'd never "paid into" the system directly. The NYS Department of Labor basically acts as the middleman - they collect from employers and distribute to eligible workers. One thing that might help you understand your paystub better is to look for that SDI (State Disability Insurance) deduction that @Alfredo Lugo mentioned - that's about the only state insurance program that does come out of your paycheck in NY. Everything else like unemployment is on the employer side.