New state data highlights initial DUA claims amid unemployment check delays

Back in July, dozens of viewers emailed Boston 25 News about unemployment check delays. Since then, we’ve been on a pursuit for answers.

From January through August 2025, records requested by 25 Investigates show that 174,946 initial claims were filed. State data shows 77,388 were not paid after filing for unemployment. Of those, 50,262 claims were denied because they were deemed ineligible.

However, 21,901 were what the state described as “in the claims process or in factfinding phase to determine eligibility,” in other words, they hadn’t been paid.

The Department of Unemployment Assistance, or DUA, told us that this could happen for a range of reasons and provided the following reasons why claims might require further investigation:

Renumeration or pay that could impact eligibility, like severance
Still working
Discharge issues
Quit issues
Reasonable assurance
Earnings investigations
Actively seeking work
Availability to work

Many viewers reached out to Boston 25 News and said they were waiting for months. The DUA generally says claims can take three to four weeks to process.

Some investigations may take longer if claimants are still working, or if the department is determining why claimants were let go and or quit their place of work.

Last month, Boston 25 News took your concerns to state lawmakers. The DUA said a new pilot program that launched in August aims to address these concerns. Since the launch, the DUA told Boston 25 News they have made technical changes and added staffing, including 29 new adjudicators. The agency said they have hired field staff to provide office hours at regional MassHire career centers on a rotating basis. They also tout reduced call center wait times and say the average wait time is between 5 and 12 minutes.

Since the launch of the program, the DUA says work items have decreased by nearly 40 percent. If you have experienced delays in receiving unemployment assistance or have a tip regarding the DUA, we want to hear from you.

You can submit your tip here: https://www.boston25news.com/wfxt/submit-a-news-tip

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