@Zainab Abdulrahman I was in a very similar situation - laid off after 7 years at a factory making close to what you were earning. You'll definitely qualify for the full 26 weeks with your work history. One thing I wish someone had told me upfront is that your weekly benefit amount will be based on your highest earning quarter during the base period, so it should be a decent amount given your $55K salary. The key is to start your job search strategy immediately - don't wait for your first check to arrive. I made the mistake of taking the first couple weeks to "decompress" and then realized how quickly time flies when you're unemployed. Also, make sure you understand the partial benefits rule - if you pick up any temporary or part-time work that pays less than your weekly benefit amount, you can still collect partial unemployment for those weeks. This can really help stretch your benefits and keep some income coming in during slower job market periods. The 26-week limit is firm in NY right now, so having a solid plan from day one makes all the difference.

@Zainab Abdulrahman With your 8 years of experience and $55K salary, you'll definitely qualify for the full 26 weeks. The key thing to remember is that these are the maximum weeks available under normal circumstances - there are no federal extensions currently active in 2025. Your weekly benefit amount will be calculated based on your highest quarter earnings during your base period, so it should be a decent amount. Start your job search immediately and keep detailed records of all contacts since you'll need at least 3 per week. Given the current job market, I'd also recommend looking into any industry certifications or skills training you could do during this time to make yourself more competitive. The manufacturing sector is evolving rapidly, so this might be an opportunity to upskill in areas like automation or quality control. Most importantly, don't panic - 26 weeks gives you a solid window to find the right opportunity, but using that time strategically from day one will make all the difference in your search success.

Just wanted to add another option that helped me when I was in the same situation a few weeks ago - try using the NY.gov website's secure messaging feature if you haven't already. While it's not as immediate as phone contact, I submitted a detailed message through my online account explaining my pending claim issue and got a response within 5 business days with specific steps to resolve it. You have to log into your NY.gov account, go to the unemployment section, and look for "Contact Us" or "Send Secure Message." Make sure to include your claim number, Social Security number, and a detailed description of the issue. It's not a quick fix, but it's another avenue that might help while you're still trying the phone strategies everyone else has mentioned. The response I got was actually from a real person who could access my file, not just an automated reply.

I've been following this thread closely because I'm in the exact same nightmare - claim pending for over 3 weeks with zero success getting through the main line. Reading all these different strategies gives me hope though! I'm going to try a multi-pronged approach: 1) Contact my assemblyperson's office first thing Monday morning, 2) Set up the secure messaging through NY.gov like Rebecca mentioned, and 3) Start tracking my call attempts like Daniel suggested to find the best time windows. Has anyone tried combining the assemblyperson route WITH the specific menu sequence that Javier shared? I'm wondering if having that political office contact might give me a better pathway through the phone system too. This thread has been more helpful than anything I've found elsewhere - thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and actual solutions instead of just complaining!

I just went through this exact same situation two weeks ago when I moved from Queens to Rochester! The frustrating part is that even after you update your address with NYSDOL online, the Key Bank system doesn't automatically sync with it. I had to call Key Bank separately and wait on hold for like an hour. Pro tip: If you're planning to move again in the future, consider switching to direct deposit BEFORE you move. I wish I had done that from the start. The whole Key Bank card system seems like it's designed to create problems whenever there's any change to your account. Also, make sure to keep receipts or screenshots of any calls you make to either NYSDOL or Key Bank about address changes. I had to call back twice because the first representative didn't properly update my information in their system.

I'm so glad you got this resolved! I had a very similar experience when I moved apartments in Brooklyn last year. The whole two-system thing (NYSDOL + Key Bank) is incredibly confusing and they really don't make it clear that you need to update both separately. One thing that might help others - I found that calling Key Bank early in the morning (like 7-8 AM) gets you through much faster than calling during business hours. The wait times are brutal during peak hours. Also, for anyone reading this thread who hasn't had this problem yet: seriously consider setting up direct deposit from day one of your unemployment claim. I switched after my moving nightmare and it's been smooth sailing ever since. No more worrying about card blocks, address issues, or those annoying inactivity fees. Just straight deposits to your regular bank account. Thanks for sharing your experience and the update - posts like this really help the community!

I just wanted to chime in as someone who also struggled with this recently! One more place that helped me find my unemployment number was checking my browser's autofill history - if you've ever typed it into a form on the website, sometimes browsers save that information and you can access it through your saved form data. Also, if you've ever screenshot any pages from your unemployment account (maybe to show someone or save for your records), check your phone's photo gallery - the unemployment number might be visible in those screenshots. The whole system is definitely frustrating and poorly organized, but reading through all these helpful suggestions from everyone really shows how supportive this community is. Don't give up - with all these different places to check, you'll definitely find your number!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been dealing with the exact same issue for the past week. After reading through everyone's suggestions, I decided to check multiple places and finally found my unemployment number in three different locations: on an old payment confirmation email that was buried in my inbox, in the "View Claim Details" section of my ny.gov account (it was labeled as "UI Number"), and surprisingly on a screenshot I had taken of my account weeks ago when I was first trying to figure things out. It's honestly ridiculous that we all have to become detectives just to find our own claim information, but I'm so grateful for this community sharing all these different strategies. For anyone still searching, definitely try the mobile app suggestion and check your email spam folder - those were two places I almost missed!

I've been following this thread religiously since I'm in the exact same nightmare - claim pending for 3+ weeks and I was honestly starting to panic about rent and bills. But reading through everyone's success stories with the Wednesday 8:15am strategy has given me actual hope for the first time in weeks! What really convinced me is that multiple people mentioned reps confirming there's genuine staffing reasons behind the mid-week timing - finally feels like we're working with real intel instead of just blind luck. I'm definitely going to try this approach tomorrow morning and I've already printed out a checklist with all my info organized (claim ID, SSN, employment dates, bank details) thanks to @Keisha's brilliant suggestion. It's absolutely mind-blowing that we need to become unemployment phone system hackers just to access our own benefits, but this community has been more helpful than months of dealing with the useless official DOL channels. If the strategic calling doesn't work after giving it a proper shot, that claimyr.com service sounds like a solid backup based on all the positive experiences shared here. Thanks everyone for the genuine advice and success stories - you've literally kept me from giving up completely. Will definitely report back on how tomorrow goes! 🤞

I've been stuck in pending status for almost a month now and this thread is honestly the most helpful resource I've found anywhere! The Wednesday 8:15am strategy sounds legit based on all the success stories, especially knowing there's actual staffing reasons behind the timing rather than just luck. I'm definitely going to try this approach tomorrow morning - already set my alarm and organized all my paperwork (claim ID, SSN, employment info, etc.) into a checklist like @Keisha suggested. It's wild that we need to become phone system strategists just to get our own benefits, but I'm grateful for communities like this where people share what actually works vs the useless official DOL website. If the strategic calling doesn't pan out after a few solid attempts, I'll absolutely check out that claimyr.com service that multiple people have mentioned. At this point I'm willing to try anything to get my claim moving - my landlord is already asking about next month's rent and I'm getting seriously stressed. Thanks everyone for sharing real experiences instead of generic advice. This thread has given me more hope than weeks of trying to navigate this broken system alone! Will report back on how tomorrow goes 🤞