I'm so sorry you're going through this - the stress of having benefits suspended during an investigation is absolutely brutal. I went through a similar situation about 18 months ago and it took roughly 6 weeks to resolve. What I learned is that being proactive really helps, even though the waiting is still agonizing. I'd recommend gathering ALL your documentation now - job search logs, bank statements, termination paperwork, any correspondence with employers - and send it certified mail even if they haven't specifically requested it yet. Also, if you haven't already, try to get through to someone on the phone to at least confirm what triggered the investigation. Like others mentioned, calling right at 8 AM seems to be the best time to actually reach a human. The system is frustrating but hang in there - legitimate claims do get cleared up, it just takes way longer than it should. Keep detailed records of every interaction and don't let them make you feel guilty for following up regularly. You deserve to know what's happening with your case.

I'm dealing with a fraud investigation right now too - just hit the 5 week mark yesterday. The uncertainty is absolutely crushing, especially when you know you did everything by the book. What's helped me mentally is setting up a routine around it rather than letting the anxiety consume me randomly throughout the day. I call every Tuesday and Friday at 8 AM sharp (seems to be the magic hour based on what everyone's saying), keep a spreadsheet tracking every interaction, and I've already sent them a comprehensive evidence packet via certified mail. The financial stress is real - I've had to ask family for help with rent which is humiliating when this whole thing shouldn't even be happening. But reading through all these experiences gives me hope that most legitimate cases do get resolved, even if it takes way longer than any reasonable person would expect. Stay strong and keep documenting everything - we'll get through this bureaucratic nightmare eventually.

One thing - you still have to meet the job search requirements even for partial unemployment. Keep track of your work search activities because they can ask for your log anytime during certification.

Just went through this exact same situation at my job! The key thing is to file online at labor.ny.gov and when you do your weekly certifications, always report your gross earnings (before taxes). The system will automatically calculate how much partial benefit you get. Also keep all your pay stubs - they sometimes ask for proof of your reduced earnings. The whole process was way easier than I expected once I actually started it. Good luck!

I've been helping people with ID.me verification issues for months now, and I want to add a few more troubleshooting tips that have worked for others: 1) Try using incognito/private browsing mode - this eliminates any browser extension conflicts, 2) If you're on mobile, make sure your phone's camera lens is clean (sounds obvious but you'd be surprised!), 3) For the selfie part, hold the phone at arm's length and look directly at the camera, not at your image on screen, 4) If you wear contacts, try without them as sometimes the reflection can interfere with facial recognition. Also, Pro tip: If you get through the document scan but fail at facial recognition, don't restart the whole process - you can usually just retry the selfie portion. The verification usually takes 2-3 business days to process once you successfully complete all steps, so factor that into your timeline. Hang in there - almost everyone gets through eventually!

I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now! Been stuck on the facial recognition part for 3 days straight. Reading through all these tips is super helpful - I had no idea about the VPN issue or using a dark surface for the ID scan. Going to try the phone + Safari + natural lighting combo tomorrow morning, and definitely turning off my VPN first. It's so frustrating that such an important process has so many technical glitches, but at least it sounds like most people eventually get through. Thanks everyone for sharing what worked for you - gives me hope I'll figure this out soon!

Wow, this thread is incredible - thank you all for creating such a comprehensive troubleshooting guide! I've been banging my head against the wall trying to upload my documents for over a week now. Every time I try during regular hours, I get error messages or the upload just stalls out completely. I had no idea that timing could make such a difference, but reading through everyone's experiences, it makes total sense that the system would be overloaded during business hours when everyone's trying to access it. I'm definitely going to try the early morning approach (6:30am) this weekend using Chrome with cleared cache, PDFs under 5MB with descriptive names, and uploading one document at a time. Having the secure message center as a reliable backup option is such a relief too. It's honestly frustrating that we need to become system experts just to submit basic paperwork, but this community has turned an impossible task into something actually manageable. Will report back with results!

As someone who just went through this exact process last month, I want to add that keeping detailed records of every attempt is crucial! I created a simple spreadsheet tracking when I tried to upload (date/time), which browser I used, file sizes, and whether it succeeded or failed. This helped me identify patterns - like noticing that my afternoon attempts always failed while early morning ones worked. Also, if you do end up needing to call or use a service like Claimyr that Dylan mentioned, having this documentation makes the conversation much more productive. The agent could see exactly what I'd tried and immediately suggested solutions I hadn't considered. One more tip: if you're uploading paystubs, make sure they clearly show your employer's name and your full name - I had to re-upload some because the quality was too low to read the details clearly.

This thread is absolutely incredible - I can't believe how many of us are dealing with this exact same security question nightmare! I've been stuck on this maiden name issue for about a week now and was honestly starting to question my own sanity 😅 Reading through all these detective strategies has given me so much hope though! The suggestions about trying different capitalizations, hyphens, middle initials, birth years, professional names, and even religious/confirmation names are brilliant. I never would have thought to consider that my mom might have used her confirmation name or that I could have accidentally included extra details like birth years when I originally signed up. One angle I'll add to this amazing crowdsourced troubleshooting guide: if your mom ever used a shortened version of her name on some documents but the full version on others, try both! My mom's maiden name is "Elizabeth" but she went by "Betty" on a lot of informal paperwork, and I'm realizing I might have used the nickname version without thinking about it. I'm definitely making that systematic checklist everyone's talking about and working through every possible variation before attempting another phone call. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to become genealogy researchers just to access our own benefits, but this community support is what's keeping me motivated! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and strategies - knowing we're all in this bureaucratic nightmare together makes it so much more bearable. I'll report back when I crack my personal security code mystery! 🙏💪

I'm going through this exact same issue and it's so frustrating! 😤 I've been trying to update my direct deposit for over a week now and keep getting that "mother's maiden name doesn't match" error. Reading through all these amazing responses has given me so much hope though! One thing I want to add that might help others: check if your mom ever used different versions of her name for different purposes. My mom used her full legal name "Patricia" on official documents but went by "Patty" socially and sometimes "Pat" professionally. I'm realizing I might have used one of the shortened versions when I quickly filled out the form years ago. Also, if your family is from a culture where names are structured differently (like having multiple middle names or family names), you might have entered a different combination than what's in their system. My mom has both her father's and grandfather's surnames in some old documents, so I'm going to try those variations too. I'm definitely going to try the systematic approach everyone's mentioned - making a list of every possible variation and working through them methodically. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to become name detectives just to access our own benefits, but this community support is keeping me sane! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's so reassuring to know we're not alone in this bureaucratic nightmare! I'll update if I crack my personal mystery 🤞