I went through this exact situation about 2 years ago with NYS DOL and can share what happened in my case. My employer contested my claim alleging I violated company policy, but they ended up being a no-show at the hearing. The administrative law judge proceeded with the hearing as scheduled and spent about 30-40 minutes asking me detailed questions about the incident, my work history, any prior disciplinary actions, and company policies. Even though my employer wasn't there to cross-examine me, the judge was still very thorough and wanted specific details about dates, times, and circumstances. I had prepared documentation including emails and my employee handbook, which helped support my testimony. The judge explained that they would review all available evidence including whatever my employer had submitted initially when they contested the claim. I received the decision about 2 weeks later ruling in my favor. My advice would be to prepare as thoroughly as if your employer will be there - have your timeline of events clear, bring any supporting documents, and be ready to address the specific misconduct allegations they made. The fact that they're not showing up to defend their position often suggests they don't have strong evidence, but don't assume it's an automatic win. Stay focused on presenting your side clearly and honestly.

I actually work as a paralegal and have observed many NYS DOL unemployment hearings. Here's what typically happens when an employer is a no-show: The administrative law judge will still conduct a full hearing, but they'll rely heavily on your testimony since the employer can't present their side or challenge your statements. However, they will have whatever documentation your employer submitted when they initially contested your claim, so be prepared to address those specific allegations. The judge will ask detailed questions about the incident that led to your termination, any company policies involved, prior warnings or disciplinary actions, and your understanding of what happened. Even without your employer present, you still need to prove that your termination wasn't for misconduct - it's not automatically ruled in your favor. That said, employer no-shows often indicate they don't have strong evidence to support their misconduct claim. Make sure you have a clear timeline of events, any supporting documentation (emails, handbook, witness contact info), and be prepared to answer follow-up questions that might challenge your version of events. The judge needs to make a decision based on credible evidence, so being thorough and honest in your testimony is crucial. Good luck with your hearing!

New member here and currently experiencing this exact same March 2025 ID.me verification issue! Filed my claim about 3 weeks ago and it's been stuck on "pending" with absolutely no verification email anywhere - checked spam, promotions, trash, everything multiple times. This thread has been incredibly helpful in confirming this is a widespread system bug affecting March 2025 claims specifically and not just me messing something up. Reading through all these success stories with the 7:45am calling strategy gives me so much hope after weeks of complete frustration! It's clear that getting through to an actual NYSDOL agent is really the only solution when their system glitches like this. I'm planning to start calling tomorrow morning at 7:45am using all the proven tips that @Connor Murphy and others have shared here. Really appreciate everyone taking the time to document their experiences - it's so much more helpful than anything on the official NYSDOL website. Will definitely update once I hopefully get through to someone who can manually trigger my ID.me verification link!

I have not received my benefits. My identification was verified without a bid s o all. Do I need to do a video call?

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Just hit zero effective days remaining yesterday but my benefit year doesn't end until April. I was completely panicking when I first saw that message - thought I had somehow messed up my claim or there was a system glitch. This thread has been such a lifesaver! Like everyone else, I had no clue that "zero effective days" just means you've exhausted your 26 weeks of regular UI benefits. The NYSDOL website is absolutely terrible at explaining this - I was literally about to stop certifying thinking it was completely pointless. Reading all these success stories about people getting extensions or qualifying for the 599 Training program because they kept certifying is really giving me hope. I've actually been thinking about taking some AWS cloud certification courses, so I'm definitely going to research whether those might qualify. One thing that's been reassuring is seeing how many people have successfully navigated this confusing period. It makes me feel less alone in dealing with this bureaucratic maze. I'm definitely going to keep certifying every week religiously, even though it feels weird knowing there's no payment coming. Has anyone had experience with the online career services through the Department of Labor website? I'm wondering if they might have additional resources or job leads that could help while I'm in this limbo period. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences - this community is infinitely more helpful than the official NYSDOL resources!

I'm in the exact same boat right now! Just hit zero effective days remaining this week but my benefit year doesn't end until May. Like so many others here, I was completely freaking out when I first saw that message - I genuinely thought I had broken something in my claim or there was some kind of system error. This entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! The NYSDOL website is criminally bad at explaining what "zero effective days remaining" actually means. I had no idea it simply indicates you've used up your 26 weeks of regular UI benefits rather than some kind of problem. I was literally planning to stop certifying next week thinking it was completely useless, but reading everyone's detailed experiences has made it crystal clear that continuing weekly certifications is absolutely essential for maintaining claim status. What's really giving me hope are all the success stories from people who actually received extensions or got accepted into programs like the 599 Training because they religiously kept certifying. I've been wanting to pursue some Python programming and data science courses, so I'm definitely going to research whether those might qualify for the training program. It's honestly infuriating that we have to rely on community wisdom to understand basic processes that should be clearly explained on the official government website. But I'm so incredibly grateful to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and advice - you've literally saved me from making what could have been a catastrophic mistake by stopping my certifications. Going to keep certifying every single week no matter what, even though it feels surreal knowing there's no payment coming. Thanks to this amazing community for being more helpful than any official resource I've found!

I'm in a similar boat - just started collecting unemployment last week and have been stressing about my small tutoring side business. Reading through these responses is super reassuring! One thing I learned from my caseworker is that you also need to keep good records of your freelance income in case they ever audit your claim. I've been tracking everything in a simple spreadsheet with dates, client names, and amounts earned. Also wanted to add that the $504 threshold Hannah mentioned can change year to year, so it's worth double-checking the current amount on the NYS DOL website when you file your weekly claims.

Great thread everyone! Just wanted to add that when you're reporting your freelance income on the weekly claims, make sure you report it for the week you actually EARNED it, not when you got paid. So if you completed a project on Tuesday but didn't get paid until the following week, you report that income for the week you did the work. This tripped me up initially because I was reporting based on when payments hit my bank account. Also, if you have any business expenses related to your freelance work (like software subscriptions, supplies, etc.), you can usually deduct those from your reported income - but definitely verify this with NYS DOL since rules can be specific about what qualifies as legitimate business expenses.