Waiting 23 weeks on my first unemployment payment

I was laid off as a customer-service rep and filed right away, and I have been certifying every week. I answered every question and uploaded my final pay stub. Has anyone been through this? How long did it take in the end?

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

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