Waiting 23 weeks on my first unemployment payment (update)

I applied for unemployment in Buffalo 23 weeks ago and the status page still says pending. This is my first time dealing with any of this. 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.