The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
reviews and complaints

I was granted an extension back in July 2021 but the UIC system hadn't registered that extension when I attempted to file my weekly claim for benefits the following week after my balance became "0" and it prompted me to file a new claim (which I did on 07/04/2021) only to receive an email approximately 10 days later confirming my extension and that I didn't have to file a new claim. I called for status on or about 07/20/2021 and was told that a reversal needed to be done and an escalation was supposedly put in, which I was later told only delayed my claim reversal by an additional 2 weeks. I have called multiple times between that day and today and have been provided with no new information, only that a Claims Specialist was handling my claim and only needed to close out the new claim and reinstate the extension. I have been waiting since 07/04/2021 for this to be resolved. I am now facing eviction, losing my car and my insurance has been cancelled because of this delay. It has been almost 4 months and this issue still hasn't been resolved. When calling for any updates I am only being told by agents to "Just be patient" and "The turn around time for unemployment determination is delayed, but is normally between 6 to 8 weeks". As you can see, I have bypassed that 6 to 8 week timeframe almost twice over. I really need for someone to please find out what the delay is about and have this taken care of so that I can receive my money to catch up on my rent and bills before I become homeless and try to resolve some of the hardships that I have been experiencing since this mishap has transpired. I thank you for your time and assistance and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Hello,

My name is Thomas Leonardis. I have not received unemployment benefits (as well as PUA) since May 27th of this year due to a discrepancy with my email not coinciding with the one Id.me had on file but, since then I have rectified this problem with Id.me. My email address on file: [protected]@GMAIL.COM now coincides with that which I have on file with NJ Unemployment and have made numerous attempts at calling in and speaking with an unemployment representative but to no success. I was told they had sent messages up to management regarding this problem and am waiting to have my benefits reinstated. I have also verified with Id.me that everything has been verified with them and was sent to NJ Unemployment. It is now going in November and am desperately needing for this problem to be resolved and for my benefits to be reinstated. Please help!

Thank you kindly,

Thomas Leonardis
13-23 River Rd, Apt 302
Fair Lawn, 07410

Email: [protected]@GMAIL.COM

Social Security # ending in 8652

My name is Rafael Loja. My disability claim # 508622. I file my temporary disability Aug 4 due to open heart surgery. It is almost 3 months now and my my claim is still in the process. NJ phone system is always busy from 8:30 to 4:30. It is a mission impossible to get any information to this phone system. Can someone please take care of this issue. My family can no longer wait to receive my benefits .

I have not received unemployment since the start of civid19. I have tried consistently for 8 months to get guidance on why I have not received my benefits. I have my funds in my remaining balance in my account. I have been calling multiple times a day, when I do get in a queue the hold is for hours to only get disconnected, I've sent out so many emails with no reply and I feel this whole process is rigged for failure. My Claimant ID# 4127863. I would like to speak with someone who can assist me with receiving my outstanding benefit balance.
Email address [protected]@aol.com

Please help my nephew. I am writing about about a family member who is becoming financially devastated from your lack of response. The office hangs up on him.

Most importantly, he has no income for five weeks. My nephew has a family of four.He needs his money. The people in the office hang up on him. He needs his money. He is unable to assess his unemployment entitlement on the computer or phone.

I filed an unemployment claim on 11/08/2020. I received a letter in December 2020 stating more information is needed and to look out for an email from E-Adjudication. I never received that email or any other correspondence. I called daily from January to April and kept getting the message to due to high call volume my call could not be taken and to call back on the next business day. I called again on July 25, 2021. I spoke to someone who told me an escalation was done and to wait 4-6 weeks. September 5, 2021 was told an escalation was done. I called September 10, 2021 and was told an escalation was sent to a Supervisor and to wait 2-3 more weeks and I would hear something. My claim is still showing filed with 0 benefits since 11/08/2020, I keep getting told to wait and now I cannot get through because the message I keep getting is due to high call volume call on the next business day. I have already contacted my district senator and I am no further along than almost a year ago.

Today, I finally go through to a person when calling the unemployment offices after trying for 10 days.
The representative who answered, Emily, was very unhelpful (as EVERY rep I have spoken to in the past 6 months has been). When I told her that I needed to speak with someone today, and that I was not going to wait for another letter to be mailed (and never arrive) or wait for a specialist to call who would actually never call, she hung up on me.
And, of course, when I try to call back I cannot get a prompt to call back during the next business day as the representatives are dealing with unusually high call volume.
The fact that I've been dealing with ongoing issues with the unemployment offices for SIX MONTHS is completely unacceptable. Having a representative who is supposed to be trying to help me HANG UP ON ME is so far beyond unprofessional behavior.
I want someone who can actually help me call me back.
I'm done dealing with unhelpful and unprofessional people at unemployment.

I have been contacting Unemployment on the usual track I'm told to I have not received my unemployment insurance benefits for 32+ weeks the answer I keep getting is we need to escalate this someone will call you back then I get responses from some rude people telling me I just need to be patient and wait while I have zero money coming in for the past 32+ weeks my credit cards are all overdue my credit score has dropped my cell phone has been turned off numerous times I'm not too sure what else to do except fill out a complaint I've contacted governor Murphy‘s office numerous times via their email system I have not gotten one response from them! Help me please. I'm drowning here with no answers, what an I Supposed to do when I follow all of the rules that you tell me too and I still get no response I'm in hopes that I'm going to get a response from somebody through this complaint [protected]. Email [protected]@verizon.net.

After finally getting progress on my claim (which was only resolved after the date of the claim was amended/shortened), I am once again getting no response from any representatives or specialists.
My current claim was approved after a call to determine whether I have a valid claim. My identity was verified through ID Me. There were no issues with my former employer. I have been claiming weekly benefits but my claim has not been paid.
When I finally got someone on the phone about this problem on Sept. 15, I was told there was an ongoing issue and a specialist would have to call me to go over the situation. The claims representative who answered the phone could not tell me what the problem is so there was nothing I could do but wait. This scenario was repeated twice more (on Sept. 21 and Sept. 27). After all three calls, a specialist was supposed to call me within 48 hours. No one has ever called. And of course, when I call the unemployment offices, there is a "high call volume" and I can't get through to anyone.
I'm tired of dealing with uninformed, unhelpful, and inept people with unemployment who cannot tell me the issue holding up my payment for almost a month now. I am tired of being told someone will call me only to never receive a call.
I am livid that I am still dealing with this incompetence. I'm done trying to play phone games with the unemployment offices and being lied to about someone calling me to finally fix this unknown problem.
I have been dealing with this [censored] since May and I am completely over it. There is no excuse for this level of incompetence.

I have been having issues certifying my benefits for NJ unemployment and reached out to them in May 2021 to resolve the issue. They stated that it was a computer glitch and will be fixed within 6 weeks. I have not heard anything from them and escalated 3 times so far with no one to call for status. I am just trying to be able to get my benefits due my by my state and federal gov and hope you can help.

Thanks,
Clifford Fischer
[protected]@yahoo.com

I have been diligently trying to get my unemployment checks since the first day I filed which was June 25th 2021 and it is now September 23rd and I have still not been able to get any answers or any help from anyone in charge in NJ. But worst of all the system is saying that I received over $2, 000 in unemployment thus far which I have not seen so much of a cent from which shows either a complete mess up on the department of labors end or that a case of fraud is occuring and someone is filing under me and collecting money because I am not seeing a penny and to make matters worse I can not get any help from unemployment whom I tet to contact at least 5 times a day and to add insult to injury they still owe me money from 2020... unbelievable system. The people in charge of this department and our officials should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. I have had to take my 5 year old out of Kindergarten yes out of Kindergarten bc I can't even afford the school supplies that she needs let alone school clothes for her and my elderly parents whom I take care of have been going without their much needed medicine and lets not forget ny back owed rent...and in case anyone is wondering I am a hard worker and have worked relentless all my life and worked hard too I never sat on my butt and collected unemployment I never took advantage of this system and now when I need it the most it has failed me in a heartbreaking and devastating way it is a joke and the nj department of labor has practically cost me everything so thank you for failing the people in NJ I hope the lawmaker and people in charge and that were elected by us to help us are in the same situation one day so they truly know what it feels like to struggle and be let down. You are a joke New Jersey unemployment and I hope someone sues the socks off you bc this department has cost me everything and all because at a time when I needed to collect MY MONEY that I worked hard for and payed taxes your department let us down shame on you

Hello, I recently was laid off from my job. I was there six weeks. I was previously unemployed for almost a year. I've attached the filed page from unemployment web site New Jersey. It says I filed but when I went online to certify this week it said I haven't filed. more then CONFUSED! I can't get in touch with anyone and I've been calling 8am every morning since I've been laid off. There's no option to get a call back! What is going on? Please have someone respond to me immediately as I have no income as of Monday September 20, 2021.

I was unable to claim my weekly unemployment benefit since the end of 2020. I called NJ Department of Unemployment numerous times, and each time I have to wait about an hour to get through to an agent. And every time I was told a request will be created, and a specialist department has to finalize it. 6 months passed, I'm still waiting, without unemployment benefit for more than 6 months.

I filed a claim for unemployment 6/20/2021. The claim needed more info and they sent me an email a couple weeks later. I hgave them the info needed via questionaire and have been filing every week online, as I was told to do. The claim is "Filed" and I have called at least 10 times, to see why i haven't received a payment. They said to check my email, they need more information. I have not recv'd an appt., phone call, questionnaire, nothing. I have had no income for 2 months. The reps also say "dont worry, you'll get your money". WHEN! I dont know what else i can do. I have a family to support, I have worked since the age of 15.

Unemployment will not allow me to collect weekly benefits because they are making me prove my identity thrown ID me. Now, I don't have a problem with that, but. I've been trying for weeks now, and ID me is not as simple as they want you to think. I've been having A lot of problems and still haven't gotten my identity verified yet, because they do not help you. But my problem is because I can't verify my Identity. Weeks of me not having money is causing bills and rent and child support pay went to pile up. Can you please check into this matter? I filed on 07/18/2021 and they won't allow my claim to go through. Can you please look in to this matter? Thank you so much, Mr. Allan J. Rutley.

I am 72 years old, retired from UPS after 26 years. I have a part-time job with the Edison school system which closes down during the summer recess. I usually collect unemployment during that time ( about $150 to $160 per week ) . This year I was notified that my claim "..is not payable at this time. Please speak to an agent ". After calling every number I could find for Labor and Unemployment services, ( well over 100 phone calls ) all I get is "..no agents are available at this time, please call on the next business day." My claim # [protected] . I initially filed my claim on 6/27/2021 . Thank you for your time.
Sincerely, Julian Favretto

I can not log into my account! I enter my email and password. I am Told to reset password and then it states my email is not valid! I want a call back
[protected] to rectify the issue!

Suzanne Newman

I applied for a claim and received my statement on what i will receive but when i went online to do weekly benefits it says my account has expired but i never got anything. No matter what I do it keeps saying i need to contact an agent but every time i call it says phone lines are full call tomorrow. been going on for 1 week now. Please help me. I need to get a check soon. thank you

My name is Carlton Sims I Filed My Claim On 2-14-21 I Was Fired From My Job On 2-8-21 I Called & Called Unemployment And Got Through On The 14th, I Had A Phone Interview On 6-1-21, And Was Told That They Were Waiting For My Former Employer To Contact You Guys, here it is all in a nutshell, I Filed 2-14-21 Found another job and started 3-27-21, the computer system of you guys is making the mistake of reporting that my last day of work was 3-8-21 instead of 2-8-21.

At the beginning of May, I filed a new claim with unemployment after being laid off from my job in mid-April. I never received any type of correspondence regarding my claim from the unemployment offices and spent weeks trying to get through via telephone. When I finally spoke to someone, I was told my case was being escalated and a specialist would contact me. This did not happen.
Two weeks later, I again got someone on the phone only to be told there was nothing this woman could do besides escalate my case regarding my claim. I was never contacted.
In July, Senator Thompson's office BRIEFLY intervened and entered my information into the case management system used for claimant issues. I was later told the issue with my new claim was that there was an open claim for me in New York and that had to be resolved before anything could be done in NJ.
It took a few weeks, but I finally was told by New York that my unemployment case actually closed automatically because the benefit year had ended and I didn't renew my claim. I called NJ unemployment to update my information and finally get my claim to proceed so I could begin to certify for weekly benefits (which I have been unable to do for FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS). I was told on July 20, that there was no record of my claim being escalated but would be escalated that day, but it could take up to two months for a specialist to contact me.
This is absolutely ridiculous. How could two people lie to me by telling me they were escalating my claim when not doing so at all? Why do I get different stories from each unemployment agent I speak to?
I tried again to get an update on my stalled claim and spoke with someone on August 3, who told me (again) that my case was being escalated and a specialist would call me. In the meantime, my information on the website should be updated and I could begin certifying for benefits during my allotted time. No specialist has called. My information has not been updated on the unemployment website. In fact, when I try to certify for weekly benefits, I'm directed to an old claim from 2017 and told my benefits have expired and I need to file a new claim.
I have filed a new claim. I have called the unemployment offices DAILY, only actually getting through to a person six times in FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS.
I have reached out to Senator Thompson's office repeatedly since their initial assistance but I have not heard back at all.
I have reached out to Governor Murphy on this issue but, understandably, I have not yet heard back from him.
I have even reached out to Martin Walsh at the federal level, even though I know the federal DOL does not interfere with state DOL issues.
I have been waiting FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS for my claim issues to be resolved and to be able to claim unemployment benefits while I try to find a new job. If I hadn't had money saved, I would not have been able to wait this long. However, my savings have dwindled and if the issues with my NJ unemployment claim would be resolved, I would be entitled to roughly $8, 500 at this point. Why even have us pay unemployment insurance taxes if we're not going to be able to collect these benefits when we really need them?
I tried to be patient, knowing the significant overload the unemployment system is facing right now, but FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS with no resolution in sight is too much.
I am stressed beyond anything I could imagine. I am not sleeping well and my appetite is suffering. I get constant headaches and nausea worrying about my situation and if I'll be able to pay my bills next month.
I need help and I need it now.