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I had such a nightmare trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor when my claim got stuck in adjudication. Spent weeks calling and either getting hung up on or waiting hours just to get disconnected. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual agent within minutes. They have a video demo showing how it works at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI - honestly saved my sanity dealing with the whole process.
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone to check on your claim status, I had good luck using a service called Claimyr at claimyr.com. They help you get connected to an actual agent without waiting on hold for hours. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really saved me time when I needed to resolve an issue with my weekly claim certification.
Keep filing those weekly claims even while you're waiting! Once your initial claim gets approved, you'll get back pay for all the weeks you certified. I made that mistake once and had to appeal to get those weeks back.
5 weeks is definitely longer than usual but not unheard of, especially this time of year when claim volume is higher. The important thing is to stay on top of it and keep trying to make contact. Document every attempt you make to reach them in case you need that information later.
The NYS Department of Labor system is so frustrating to deal with. I've been trying to get through on the phone for weeks about my claim status and can never reach anyone. If you need to talk to an actual person, I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helped me get connected to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.
Amara Okafor
The unemployment system is such a nightmare to navigate especially for young people filing for the first time. They make it seem like you need a law degree just to understand if you qualify. I went through this same confusion when I was 20 and lost my restaurant job. Turns out I qualified even though I'd only been working for 6 months because I had worked the previous summer too.
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Zoe Stavros
To directly answer your question about who can file: employees who lose work involuntarily, people whose hours are significantly reduced, workers who quit for specific good cause reasons, and even some self-employed individuals under certain programs. The key factors are having sufficient wage history in covered employment and being unemployed through no fault of your own. Age doesn't matter - 19 is fine as long as you meet the work and wage requirements.
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Giovanni Colombo
•thanks this is super helpful! going to try filing online tonight
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