Waiting 26 weeks on my first unemployment payment, office manager here

I was laid off as an office manager and filed right away, and I have been certifying every week. There are 15 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. I answered every question and uploaded my final pay stub. Is there a step I could have missed?

Keep certifying every week even while you wait. If they find you eligible, the weeks you certified are the ones that count.

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