Waiting 19 weeks on my first unemployment payment after 8 years as a forklift operator

I was laid off as a forklift operator and filed right away, and I have been certifying every week. There are 8 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. The page shows my claim as open but no payment date. Is there a step I could have missed?

When I finally got through, the agent said my employer had responded late. Once that cleared, back pay came in one payment.

Check the messages section of your claim, not just the dashboard. That is where my request for more information was hiding.