New York State Department of Labor implements a filing system, extends hours to address influx of unemployment claims & make process more efficient for claimants

By the New York State Department of Labor

Providing unemployment insurance benefits is DOL’s No. 1 priority, and everyone who is entitled to UI benefits will receive them in a timely manner.

To that end, we are implementing a new, more efficient filing system based on the first letter of the applicant’s last name (alphabetical order). 

• A-F: Monday
• G-N: Tuesday
• O-Z: Wednesday
• Missed your day: Thursday and Friday

Filing later in the week will not delay payments or affect the date of an individual’s claim, since all claims are effective on the Monday of the week in which they are filed.

We are also extending filing hours as follows:

• Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. 
• Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Here is a step-by-step process to file a claim.

We are experiencing an unprecedented increase in the volume of calls and web traffic for unemployment insurance claims. This massive surge created intermittent interruptions in service. Our team is continuing to fix the problem as we monitor the situation around the clock.

By noon Tuesday, we received more than 21,000 calls – compared to the 2,000 in total last Tuesday and, 110,000 website visits, compared to 42,000 last Tuesday.

DOL is adding staff and will be expanding hours to help address the rapid influx.

Our dedicated staff are working as hard as we can to ensure that all benefits are paid and we will continue to do so. We appreciate the public’s patience.