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The NYS Department of Labor system is so broken right now. They're probably just backed up because of all the claims from the holidays when restaurants and retail had to cut workers. I'd keep doing your weekly claims no matter what because if they approve you you'll get backpay for all the weeks you certified.
I went through this exact same situation last year with NYS Department of Labor. The "claim under review" status is frustrating because they don't give you any details about what they're reviewing. In my case, it turned out they needed to verify my wages with my former employer, which took about 8 weeks total. The good news is once they finally processed my claim, I got all the back pay for every week I had certified. My advice is to keep filing your weekly claims religiously and check your my.ny.gov account daily for any messages requesting documents. Also try calling first thing Monday morning at 8am sharp - that's when I finally got through to someone who could at least confirm my case was moving forward.
Thanks for sharing your experience! 8 weeks sounds awful but it's reassuring to know the back pay comes through. I've been checking my account obsessively but no messages yet. Did they ever send you any notification about what documents they needed or did you just have to wait it out? I'm worried I'm missing something they want from me.
@fd802658100b Did you have to provide any specific documentation during those 8 weeks, or did NYS Department of Labor handle the wage verification directly with your employer? I'm in week 6 now and still haven't received any requests for documents, so I'm wondering if they're just working behind the scenes. Also, when you called at 8am Monday morning, how long did you have to wait on hold before getting through to someone?
The NYS Department of Labor is just completely overwhelmed right now. My cousin's been waiting 3 months for his appeal to be processed. They're probably understaffed and dealing with a backlog from all the layoffs happening in different industries.
I'm in a similar situation - filed in late October and still waiting. What helped me was contacting my state assembly member's office. They have staff that can actually reach someone at the Department of Labor on your behalf. I called my assemblyperson's district office, explained the situation, and they said they'd make an inquiry. Within a week I got a call back saying there was an issue with my employer's response that was holding things up. Still waiting for resolution but at least now I know what the problem is. Try looking up who represents your district and give their office a call - it's a free service they provide to constituents.
same thing happened to my cousin she refused a job and they stopped her payments for like 6 weeks until she appealed
Based on what you've described, you likely have valid grounds to refuse this offer. A $2/hour pay cut plus the significantly longer commute (45 min vs 15 min each way) are both legitimate factors that could make this job "unsuitable" under NYS Department of Labor guidelines. When you refuse, be sure to clearly document both the wage reduction and the excessive travel time in your refusal. During your next weekly certification, you'll report the job offer and refusal - make sure to provide detailed reasons in the comments section. If they do flag your claim for review, don't panic. You'll have the opportunity to present your case, and based on the factors you've mentioned, you should have a strong argument for why this position wasn't suitable employment for you.
This is really helpful advice! I'm curious though - is there a specific percentage or dollar amount that makes a wage reduction "significant" in NYS Department of Labor's eyes? Like would a $2/hour cut on a $15/hour job be treated differently than a $2/hour cut on a $25/hour job? Want to make sure I'm framing my refusal correctly when I document it.
ugh the whole unemployment system is such a nightmare, why can't they just make it easier to fix simple mistakes without having to jump through hoops
I went through something similar when I first filed my claim. Don't panic - mistakes happen and the system is designed to handle corrections. Here's what worked for me: first, document exactly what information you got wrong and what the correct details should be. Then try the secure messaging system through my.ny.gov first - it's often faster than calling. If you don't get a response within a week, then try calling early in the morning (like 8 AM) when the phone lines are less busy. Whatever you do, don't file a second claim - that will definitely cause more problems than it solves. The key is being honest and proactive about the corrections.
This is really helpful advice! I'm curious about the secure messaging - when you sent your correction through my.ny.gov, did you have to provide any documentation to back up the correct information? Like pay stubs or employment verification? I want to make sure I have everything ready before I submit the correction.
Esmeralda Gómez
I'm in a similar boat - filed about 2 weeks ago and stuck in the "Pending Adjudication" status. One thing I learned from calling the Department of Labor (after many attempts) is that you can also check for updates in the "Determinations" section of your account. Sometimes decisions get posted there before the main status changes. Also, if you worked for multiple employers in the past 18 months, that can add to the adjudication time since they have to verify with each one. The rep told me to expect 4-6 weeks total for my case since I had 3 different jobs last year. It's frustrating but at least we know we're not alone in this process!
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Max Knight
•Thanks for mentioning the "Determinations" section - I had no idea that existed! Just checked and mine is still empty but good to know that's another place to look for updates. The multiple employers thing makes sense too, I worked for 2 different companies in the past year so that's probably adding to my wait time. 4-6 weeks feels like forever when you're stressed about bills but it helps to have realistic expectations. At least you were able to get through to someone on the phone - that gives me hope that persistence might eventually pay off!
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Finley Garrett
I'm going through the exact same thing right now - filed 2 weeks ago and also stuck at "claim filed" status. Reading through all these comments is actually really helpful because I was starting to think something was wrong with my application. I had no idea about the Correspondence tab or the Determinations section, so I'm definitely going to check those. The adjudication process sounds really stressful but at least it seems like most people eventually get approved. I've been avoiding calling because of the horror stories about wait times, but maybe I should try the early morning suggestion someone mentioned. It's reassuring to know that keeping up with weekly certifications during the wait is important - I was wondering if I should keep doing those. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, it really helps to know we're all dealing with the same frustrating system!
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CosmicCommander
•You're definitely not alone in this! I just went through the same process and it's so frustrating how little information they give you upfront about what to expect. The weekly certifications are super important to keep doing - I almost stopped when I was stuck in adjudication for a month, but thankfully someone here told me to keep going. One thing that helped my anxiety was setting specific times to check (like once in the morning and once at night) instead of obsessively refreshing all day. The early morning calling tip is gold - I finally got through around 7:30 AM after weeks of trying during normal hours. Hang in there, most of us do eventually get through this maze of a system!
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