I'm brand new to this community but dealing with the exact same March 2025 ID.me verification nightmare! Filed my claim in mid-March and it's been stuck on "pending" for over 3 weeks now with absolutely no verification email anywhere - spam, promotions, trash, everything checked multiple times. This thread has been absolutely invaluable in confirming this is a widespread system bug specifically affecting March 2025 claims and not something I'm doing wrong. Reading through everyone's success stories with the 7:45am calling strategy that @Connor Murphy shared is giving me so much hope! It's incredibly frustrating that there's no official notice from NYSDOL about this known bug, but I'm so grateful for this community sharing real solutions when their website just sends you in circles. I'm going to start calling bright and early tomorrow morning using all the proven strategies shared here. Will definitely update once I hopefully get through to an agent who can manually trigger my ID.me verification link. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their experiences - it really helps knowing we're not alone in this mess and that persistence actually does pay off!

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'm dealing with something very similar right now - my employer just contested my claim after 7 weeks claiming they had "technical difficulties" with their system. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly helpful and reassuring! It sounds like these late contests are basically standard practice for employers trying to save money on their UI taxes, even when they don't have legitimate grounds. I was laid off along with 6 other people when my company downsized our department, so I have solid documentation showing it wasn't performance-related. The most reassuring thing I've learned from this thread is that benefits continue during the hearing process and that legitimate layoffs with proper documentation almost always win. It's frustrating that we have to go through this stress and uncertainty, but at least now I know what to expect and feel much more prepared. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it really helps to know we're not fighting these employer tactics alone!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Just got my contest notice yesterday after collecting benefits for 8 weeks following a legitimate layoff. My employer is claiming they had "system issues" that prevented them from responding initially - which honestly sounds like a convenient excuse to me. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly eye-opening about how common these late contests are. It seems like employers routinely use vague excuses to contest months later, probably hoping we'll just give up or panic about repaying benefits. I was laid off as part of a company-wide restructuring that affected about 15 people in my division, and I have all the documentation including emails about the restructuring and my official termination letter stating "position eliminated due to organizational changes." Based on what everyone has shared, it sounds like these are often just fishing expeditions by employers to reduce their UI tax costs rather than legitimate challenges. I'm feeling much more confident about the hearing now knowing that benefits continue during the process and that documented layoffs usually hold up. Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories - it really helps to know we're all dealing with similar employer tactics!

One thing I learned the hard way is to keep detailed records of EVERYTHING - screenshots of your weekly certifications, copies of job applications, correspondence with employers, etc. I had a situation where the DOL claimed I missed a week of certification, but I had screenshots proving I submitted it on time. Without that documentation, it would have been my word against their system. Also, if you're laid off due to downsizing like you mentioned, make sure you get something in writing from your employer stating the reason for separation. It can save you a lot of headaches if there are any questions later about whether you were actually fired for cause.

Based on everyone's helpful responses, I'd also add that timing is crucial - make sure you file your claim as soon as possible after becoming unemployed, even if you're not 100% sure about all the details yet. There's a waiting period anyway, and delays in filing can cost you benefits. Also, if you do get denied for any reason, don't panic - you have the right to appeal within 30 days. The appeals process gives you a chance to present your case to an administrative law judge, and many initial denials get overturned on appeal. Keep all your documentation organized from day one because you'll need it if you have to go through the appeals process.

The whole system is so confusing! I'm terrified of making a mistake and having to pay back benefits. Why can't they just give clear guidelines on their website?

For freelance work specifically, @Mei Wong, you'll want to track your hours carefully since freelance doesn't fit neatly into the "4 days" rule. What matters most is your total weekly earnings compared to your benefit amount. I've been doing freelance graphic design while on unemployment and I report every project - even if it's just 2 hours on a Tuesday. The NYS DOL counts any day you do ANY work as a "work day" regardless of hours, so if you freelance across 5 different days in a week (even just 1 hour each day), that could affect your benefits more than doing 20 hours all in one day. Keep detailed records with dates, hours, and earnings for each project.

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! Just had a forfeit week appear on my payment history this week and I was absolutely losing my mind about it until I found this thread. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a lifesaver - I had no idea these forfeit situations were so common and actually fixable! From what I can piece together, I think my issue might be similar to what others described - I had some really confusing work schedules last month with shifts that spanned across different weeks, and I'm pretty sure I reported income for the wrong certification period. The determination notice I found buried in my online account just says "payment adjustment required" but gives zero helpful details. I've already started following the game plan everyone's outlined here - gathering all my pay stubs, creating a detailed timeline of when I actually worked vs what I reported, and planning to call first thing Monday morning to get that specific reason code everyone keeps mentioning. The stress of potentially losing future payments was keeping me up at night, but knowing from this thread that I can keep certifying normally while an appeal gets processed is such a huge relief! And seeing so many success stories about people getting their forfeit weeks reversed and receiving back payments gives me so much hope. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is incredible for helping navigate these confusing bureaucratic situations. Definitely feeling way more prepared to tackle this now! 🙏

I'm currently going through this exact same situation and this entire thread has been such a lifesaver! Just discovered a forfeit week on my payment history yesterday and was completely spiraling until I found all these detailed responses from people who've been through the same thing. Based on everything I'm reading here, it sounds like forfeit weeks are usually caused by income reporting mix-ups during certification - which is probably what happened to me too. I had some irregular part-time hours last month that overlapped different certification periods and I'm pretty sure I got confused about which week to report them under. Already found a determination notice buried in my online account under "Correspondence" (had to dig for it!) but it just says "reporting discrepancy" without any real specifics. Following everyone's advice here, I'm going to: 1. Organize all my pay stubs and create that detailed timeline everyone keeps mentioning 2. Call first thing tomorrow morning and ask for the specific reason code 3. Have all my documentation ready to explain exactly what happened The stress about this potentially affecting future payments was keeping me up all night, but reading that you can keep certifying normally while an appeal processes is such a huge relief! And seeing so many success stories about people getting their forfeit weeks reversed gives me actual hope this can be fixed. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is amazing for helping navigate these bureaucratic nightmares. Definitely feeling way more prepared to tackle this now instead of just panicking! 🙏