One thing to keep in mind is that your weekly benefit amount is calculated based on your earnings during your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed). So even though you have 26 weeks maximum, you might exhaust your dollar amount before you reach the time limit if your weekly benefit is high relative to your total benefit amount. You can check your remaining balance on the NYS DOL website when you file your weekly claims.

Another important thing to remember is that if you do temporary or part-time work while collecting unemployment, you need to report all earnings when you file your weekly claim. NYS allows you to earn up to a certain amount before it affects your benefits (usually around 1/4 of your weekly benefit rate), but anything over that will reduce your weekly payment dollar-for-dollar. Just make sure you're honest about any work you do - they cross-check with employer wage reports and not reporting earnings can result in overpayment that you'll have to pay back with penalties.

Wait, you filed in early January and it's been 5 weeks? That means you filed like the first week of January? Because if you filed after January 15th it hasn't been 5 weeks yet. Just want to make sure the timeline is right because that affects whether this is actually an unusual delay or not.

Manufacturing layoffs sometimes get extra scrutiny because they want to verify it wasn't a voluntary quit or misconduct termination. Did you get any severance or notice pay? That can also complicate the timeline because they need to determine your benefit start date. The good news is that once approved, you'll get backpay to your benefit year start date.

I understand your frustration with the religious accommodation issue. You should definitely document everything about your religious practices and the fact that you need Sundays off for religious observance. When you go to your appeal hearing, bring any documentation you have about your religious beliefs and explain that refusing work due to religious reasons is protected. NYS Department of Labor has to consider religious accommodations under both state and federal law. You might also want to contact a legal aid organization that handles employment issues - they sometimes take cases involving religious discrimination for free or low cost. Don't give up on the appeal process, even though it's frustrating.

Religious accommodation is definitely a protected right that NYS Department of Labor should have considered before denying your benefits. The fact that you couldn't work Sundays due to religious observance isn't a valid "work refusal" under labor law. Beyond the appeal process, you might want to file a complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights if they didn't properly evaluate your religious accommodation request. While you can't directly sue for monetary damages in most cases, documenting religious discrimination could strengthen your position. Keep detailed records of all communications and make sure to emphasize in your appeal that this was a religious accommodation issue, not simply refusing work.

As an update for everyone, the official NYSDOL posted about this exact scam on their social media last week. They confirmed they NEVER initiate requests for personal information via DocuSign emails without first notifying you through your secure NY.gov account. Always log directly into your account through https://unemployment.labor.ny.gov (type it directly in your browser) to check for legitimate communications.

Just wanted to add another red flag to watch for - legitimate NYSDOL communications will usually reference your specific claim number or case details that only they would know. Scam emails are often generic and don't include any personal details from your actual claim. Also, if you're ever unsure, you can always visit your local Career Center in person to verify any communications. They can check your account directly and confirm whether something is legitimate or not. I know it's inconvenient, but sometimes it's worth the peace of mind, especially with identity theft being such a huge problem these days. Stay vigilant everyone - these scammers are getting more creative every day!

My sister went through this investigation last year and it turned out fine, just took forever. The key is responding to every request promptly and being completely honest about everything. They're mostly looking for people who filed fake claims or worked under the table while collecting benefits.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Got my investigation letter about 3 weeks ago and I'm still gathering all the documents they requested. One thing that's been helpful is creating a timeline of everything that happened during my unemployment period - when I filed, when I received payments, any work I did, etc. Also keep copies of everything you send them because they sometimes claim they never received documents. The waiting is the worst part but from what I'm reading here it sounds like most legitimate claims get cleared eventually. Stay strong and don't let the process intimidate you if you know you did everything right!