Waiting 24 weeks on my first unemployment payment - 9 months and counting

I was laid off as a sales associate and filed right away, and I have been certifying every week. I do not usually post, so bear with me. The page shows my claim as open but no payment date. Has anyone been through this? How long did it take in the end?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 9 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.