I'm in a really similar situation and this thread has been a lifesaver! My hours at a hardware store got slashed from about 35 to 13 per week starting 6 weeks ago. Management keeps saying it's "temporary" but nothing has improved. After reading everyone's success stories, especially @Jamal Brown and @Savannah Vin, I realize I need to be way more systematic about documenting everything. I've been keeping my schedules but I haven't been following up conversations in writing like you all mentioned. I'm planning to send a formal email this week requesting restoration of my hours with a specific timeline for their response. The financial stress is killing me - I can barely cover my car payment let alone rent. Has anyone dealt with a situation where HR and your direct manager give different answers about whether hours can be restored? My supervisor says it's out of their hands but HR hasn't been helpful either. I want to make sure I exhaust all internal options before quitting so my unemployment case is solid.

I'm new to this community but dealing with a very similar situation - my hours at a clothing store just got cut from 28 to about 10 per week last week. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly eye-opening! @Jamal Brown and @Savannah Vin's success stories give me real hope that this could work if I handle it properly. I'm definitely going to start documenting everything immediately - taking screenshots of schedules, keeping detailed notes of conversations, and planning to send a formal written request to restore my hours. The advice about waiting a reasonable amount of time to show good faith effort makes total sense, even though the financial pressure is already mounting. Has anyone had experience with employers who claim the cuts are "company-wide" or due to "corporate policy changes"? I'm wondering if that changes how you approach building your case or if the same documentation principles apply. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - it's making me feel much less alone in this situation!

Just stopped mine last month when I started a new job. Everything worked out fine when I reactivated it 4 weeks later after the job ended. Just make sure you keep track of any work you do during the gap because they will ask about it.

I was in a similar situation a few months ago. You can definitely stop certifying and restart later - your claim won't disappear immediately. But here's what I learned the hard way: if you do get that part-time job, you're better off continuing to certify and reporting the hours/earnings rather than stopping completely. NYS allows you to work part-time and still collect partial benefits, and it keeps your claim active. When I stopped for 5 weeks and then restarted, they asked a lot of questions about what I was doing during the gap, and the whole reactivation process was more of a hassle than just staying active would have been. Plus you maintain your job search contacts requirement even when not certifying.

I'm going through this EXACT same nightmare and it's honestly such a relief to find this thread! Filed my claim in mid-February and have been stuck at $0 with 104 effective days for about 6 weeks now. Just like literally everyone else here, I also had multiple employers last year - worked at a pharmacy part-time while finishing college until July, then got a full-time position at a small marketing firm that laid me off in January due to budget cuts. The multiple employer pattern is so clear from everyone's experiences! It's obviously what triggers this review/adjudication hell where they won't tell you anything useful. I've called NYSDOL probably 22 times and always get that same infuriating "your claim is under review" script with absolutely no specifics about what they're reviewing or any realistic timeline. What really gets me is how they act like they're helping when they say it's "under review" but literally can't tell you WHAT they're reviewing or WHY it's taking so long! I've been religiously certifying every week because I'm terrified of losing backpay when this eventually gets resolved, but the financial stress is becoming overwhelming. This thread has been incredibly valuable - I had no idea about asking specifically for adjudication details or trying to reach a Tier 2 specialist. I'm definitely going to try the secure messaging approach through my account and use that specific language about adjudication when I call next. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and advice - it's both comforting and maddening to know so many of us are dealing with this identical issue. At least we know it's a systemic problem with multiple employer cases and not something we individually did wrong!

I'm going through this EXACT same situation and it's honestly driving me insane! Filed my NY unemployment claim in late February and have been stuck at $0 with 104 effective days for about 5 weeks now. Just like literally everyone else in this thread, I also had multiple employers last year - worked at a clothing store until October, then got hired at a small logistics company that had to lay me off in January due to contract losses. The multiple employer pattern from everyone's comments is undeniable! It's clearly what's triggering these endless "reviews" with zero transparency about what's actually happening. I've called NYSDOL about 17 times and it's always that same maddening "your claim is under review" script with absolutely no specifics about what they're reviewing or any realistic timeline. This thread has been such a lifesaver - I was starting to panic that there was something uniquely wrong with my application until I saw how widespread this issue is. Based on all the great advice shared here, I'm definitely going to try sending a secure message through my account asking specifically about adjudication, and when I call next I'll push to get transferred to a Tier 2 specialist who can actually see my file details. It's both comforting and infuriating to know so many of us are dealing with this identical nightmare. The financial stress is becoming overwhelming but at least now I know this is a systemic problem with multiple employer cases and not something I did wrong. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - hopefully we all get some movement on our claims soon!

Hey Andre, I went through something really similar last year. One thing that helped me was looking into whether my employer was violating labor laws - like if they're cutting your hours without proper notice or creating an unsafe work environment, that could actually work in your favor for an unemployment claim. NYS Department of Labor has specific rules about "good cause" for leaving, and some things that seem like normal bad management are actually violations. You might want to file a complaint with the Department of Labor about the working conditions WHILE you're still employed - this creates a paper trail that shows you tried to address the issues before leaving. Even if you don't get the workplace issues resolved, having that complaint on file can really strengthen your case if you do end up having to quit and apply for benefits.

I was in a really similar situation a few months ago - toxic manager, unpredictable schedule changes, the whole nightmare. What I learned is that just walking away without notice is definitely risky for unemployment benefits, but there are some strategies that worked for me. First, I started documenting EVERYTHING - every time my hours got cut, every inappropriate comment from management, every policy violation I witnessed. Then I filed complaints with NYS Department of Labor about the scheduling issues and workplace environment while I was still employed. This created an official record that I was trying to address legitimate workplace problems. When I eventually had to leave (I gave two weeks notice citing the documented issues), my unemployment claim was approved because I had established a pattern of trying to resolve workplace violations before quitting. The key is building that paper trail that shows you didn't just abandon your job on a whim, but were responding to genuine workplace problems that your employer failed to address.

I went through this exact same panic about 8 months ago when I discovered I had been reporting my part-time restaurant shifts incorrectly for about 6 weeks. I was absolutely terrified and convinced I was going to be arrested. After finally calling the NYS DOL (took me weeks to work up the courage), I found out I owed back about $920 in overpayments. They set me up on a payment plan for $80/month and there were no criminal charges whatsoever. The woman I spoke with was actually really kind and said that reporting errors happen all the time, especially with people who have irregular work schedules. She explained that they only pursue criminal cases when there's obvious intent to defraud - like people who work full-time and never report any of it, or systematic schemes involving fake identities. The fact that you're worried about this and asking questions shows you weren't trying to scam anyone. I know the anxiety is brutal, but in my experience the reality was so much less scary than what I had built up in my head.

I can really relate to your anxiety - I was in almost the identical situation about 4 months ago when I realized I had been reporting my gig work earnings incorrectly while collecting unemployment. I was absolutely convinced I was going to jail and barely slept for weeks. After finally gathering the courage to contact NYS DOL directly, I discovered I had an overpayment of around $1,100. They were surprisingly understanding when I explained it was genuine confusion about how to report inconsistent income from delivery apps. I'm now on a $90/month repayment plan with no criminal charges or legal consequences whatsoever. The caseworker actually told me that honest reporting mistakes are incredibly common and they see the difference between people who are genuinely confused versus those who are intentionally trying to defraud the system. She said criminal prosecutions are typically reserved for cases involving thousands of dollars, systematic fraud, or identity theft - not people who made good faith errors. The relief I felt after that conversation was incredible. Sometimes facing the problem head-on is so much less scary than the scenarios we create in our minds.