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On dec. 26th my benefits were exhausted on monday the 28th I tried to certify for my weekly benefit and was told I had a zero balance. I'm supposed to be given the extended benefits however I did not get them. So on friday dec 31 I tried again to certify with no luck. I called the call center for a over a week straight and on jan 4th at 2pm I finally get through to a women and I explain to her what's going on and she says just keep trying to certify each week so I said to her the system wont let me and she then says I dont know and hangs up on me. So i'm still left with no money no answers and mad as well I think you get it.
Desired outcome: I want my unemployment so i can live and that rep FIRED
In Nov of 2019 I filed for UI - claim was dated November 2019. A month later I got a job and I stopped claiming benefits. Unfortunately, I was terminated at that new job in March of 2020 due to Covid. After weeks (literally) of trying to reach them by Phone, I finally had success. I told NJ DOLI wanted to open a new claim for UI and was told I had an existing claim with a large unused balance (the one from November 2019). The agent told me to reopen this "existing claim" which didn't seem right since it would be as if I never took the job I had for only a few months before Covid. I received benefits (including Pandemic benefits) for many months until the 2019 balance ran out and I had to refile for an extension. I don't know why but I have literally gone through hell trying to get NJUI to pay me benefits for April 1, 2021 - July 2021 (at which time I became re-employed). Following the advice of that agent to use the existing claim really screwed up my file because I was audited when DOL told me I owed them $4,176 of over payments. I went through that process and won the tribunal appeal when I proved that I was not over paid but, in fact, the DOL owed ME money. A month later I received a letter from DOL saying I won the appeal and did not owe back any mo'sney. However, nobody addressed the fact that I still was owed substantial back pay. IU automated/online system would not allow me to back claim and, again, I became lost in the hell of trying to get someone on the phone. In March of 2022 (on a Sunday, of all days), I received a call from some lady at the DOL who was basically useless except she set me up for an appointment in Hackensack to meet with someone about my unpaid claim. I went to the appointment, the agent in Hackensack was a bit cold at first but eventually became an advocate after seeing everything I had been put through and the numerous mistakes made by the DOL which still did NOT acknowledge that I had won the appeal which was completely unrelated to my back pay!. Thankfully I brought the letter which proved I won the appeal and this woman Agent was not personally able to acknowledge the letter that I had won (until that was cleared, I would be unable to make any claims in past, present or future. When asked why the DOL did not acknowledge their own finding and letter, she simply said that nobody passed the information along. INSANE! Anyhow, this lady cleaned up my file, wrote notes for more than half an hour and told me that I would be receiving the benefits in a few weeks. Here it is, October, and NOTHING! I still can't get people on the phone call center and I'm back to square one. I feel totally hopeless, helpless and depressed because I really needed that money. I am now re-employed BUT during those months that I wasn't paid in 2021, I had to sell my house and move in with my family - I'm 60 years old! The level of incompetence and negligence at DOL is criminal. There is NO Where to turn except to this forum where all we can do is vent. I WANT MY MONEY PLEASE. Does anyone out there even care? I don't think so.
No one answers the phone. They put up this wall at 8 AM in the morning saying no one can answer the phone. How can that be? Everyday? We need them to help us.
It is the most frustrating and disrespectful process I've ever dealt with. I can't even say it's bureaucracy because I can't get anyone to answer the phone. I call the help line (because I need to speak to someone to resolve my issue) EVERY DAY, 3 times a day, and it's the same thing every time:10 minutes of bull crap before I am asked to press one for English, etc. etc. and then, after another 5 minutes of more bull crap, I am requested to give my SS# and Date of Birth before I hear "due to the unprecedented number of callers, no Agents are available. Please try the next business day". NO ONE EVER ANSWERS THE PHONE. IT IS TRULY UNBELIEVABLE. I FEEL LIKE A PIECE OF GARBAGE BEGGING FOR MONEY.