Late or missing payments are the most common complaint in NYC early intervention. You delivered the sessions, you completed the documentation, and the money has not arrived. Here is a clear-headed guide to what options you have and what actually works.
Step 1: Confirm what you are actually owed
Before escalating, pull your session records from the agency's billing portal and confirm exactly which sessions have been submitted, which have been approved by the state, and which are showing as paid to the agency. Many payment disputes turn out to be documentation issues, sessions you submitted incorrectly, or claims pending state review rather than money the agency is holding.
Ask the agency directly: "Can you show me the claim status for sessions X through Y in EI-Hub?" A legitimate agency should be able to show you the state claim status within minutes. Refusal or vagueness is a warning sign.
Step 2: Send a written follow-up
Email your agency coordinator or billing contact with the specific dates and dollar amounts you believe are owed. Put it in writing even if you have spoken by phone. This creates a record. Something direct and non-confrontational works well: "Hi [name], I wanted to follow up on sessions from [dates] totaling approximately $[amount] that I have not yet received payment for. Can you let me know the expected payment date?"
Give them five business days to respond. Most legitimate payment delays resolve at this step.
Step 3: File a complaint with EI Match
If you receive no response or an unsatisfactory explanation, file a payment complaint through EI Match. We formally contact the agency within 24 hours, document the complaint under a ticket number, and set a 48-hour resolution window for payment issues. This is free, anonymous if you prefer, and often moves faster than any other escalation path because agencies know unresolved complaints affect their public trust score.
File a complaint at eimatch.com/agencies →
Step 4: NYC DOH complaint
NYC early intervention agencies are licensed by the New York City Department of Health. If an agency is withholding earned wages, you can file a complaint with the NYC DOH Early Intervention Program. Complaints submitted to the DOH are taken seriously because agencies can lose their approval to operate in NYC if they are found to be in violation of provider agreements. The NYC EI Program can be reached at (347) 396-7100.
Step 5: NYS Department of Labor
If you are a W-2 employee and your wages are not being paid, the New York State Department of Labor handles wage theft complaints for employees. For 1099 contractors, civil action through small claims court is an option for amounts under $10,000. The NYC small claims court filing fee is $20 for claims under $1,000 and $35 for claims $1,000 to $10,000.
Protecting yourself going forward
The most effective protection against payment issues is choosing agencies with high payment reliability scores before you start. EI Match trust scores weight payment reliability at 40% of the total score, based on real therapist-reported data. Agencies with scores of 90 or above in payment reliability almost never have unresolved payment complaints in our system.