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My mom got laid off from her administrative job in November and filed for unemployment benefits in early December. Everything was going smoothly until last week when she received an email saying she needs to verify her identity through ID.me before her payments can continue. The problem is she's 68 years old and really struggling with the technology. She doesn't have a smartphone with a good camera for the selfie verification, and she can't find her original social security card (only has a photocopy). She tried using her passport but it expired 8 months ago. I've been trying to help her remotely since I live in another state. We've been on the phone for hours trying to figure this out, and she's getting really stressed because her rent is due next week. Has anyone found a way around using ID.me? Or know if there's a phone number where she can verify her identity with a real person? This whole system seems designed to prevent older people from getting their benefits.
The system is rigged against older people and it's disgusting. My dad went through this in February. What finally worked was going to our local state assembly person's office. They have special contacts at unemployment and got his issue resolved in like 3 days.
wait does she have a Medicare card? They sometimes accept that as verification!
She does! I didn't realize that could work as ID. Will definitely have her try that, thanks!
26d
Don't freak out too much. Even if you can't get your 1099-G in time for your tax appointment, you can still file without it by estimating the amount you received. Just make sure to file an amended return later when you get the actual form. Better than missing the deadline!
sauce? how do you know you can estimate unemployment income?
not OP but I'm a tax preparer and this is accurate. you can file with your best estimate then amend later if needed.
26d
Anyone try to call the unemployment office about this? I've been on hold for TWO HOURS and still nothing.
Try claimyr.com if you really need to talk to someone. They'll get you through to an agent way faster than calling yourself
26d
I'll check it out, thanks. Getting desperate here!
26d
Y'all need to chill lol. It's literally ONE DAY after a holiday. The system always runs a day behind after holidays. If you don't have your money by Thursday, THEN start panicking.
easy to say "chill" when ur not about to get evicted 🙄
26d
Fair point. Didn't mean to sound insensitive. Just trying to reassure people this is normal.
26d
I submitted my unemployment claim back on 3/14/23 and have been certifying every single week for the past 9 weeks, but my claim is still showing as "pending" in the system. I got a monetary determination letter about 5 weeks ago that showed what I'd be eligible for, but absolutely nothing has happened since then. I've already completed the ID.me verification process and uploaded all the documents they asked for. No one from unemployment has contacted me at all - no calls, no messages in the portal, no additional letters. I'm getting really desperate at this point and would be happy to provide any extra information they need, but I can't seem to reach anyone. Does anybody know if there's an email address where I can actually write to someone at NY unemployment to check on my claim? Any advice would really help right now.
Heres an insider tip - I know someone who works at unemployment. The system automatically flags certain claims for manual review based on random criteria, and those go into a huge backlog. The ONLY way to get it moved up is by talking to an agent directly. There's literally no other way.
lmaooo an EMAIL? 😂 they barely answer their phones and u think theres an EMAIL? welcome to ny unemployment hell my friend 🤡
yeah i know it sounds naive but i figured maybe there was some secret email nobody talks about 😭
26d
we've all been there bro. the system is designed to break your spirit
26d
they did same thing 2 me last year... they never send notifications when they put holds on ur account. u gotta call 2 fix it. i know it sucks but u gotta keep trying. early morning like 8:01am or right after lunch at like 1pm is when i finally got thru
Honestly, 90% of the problems with NY unemployment could be solved if they just had a frickin' system that would actually TELL you when there's a problem with your claim! They just silently stop payments and expect you to guess what's wrong.
THIS THIS THIS!!!! I've been saying this for years! It's like they deliberately hide information from us 🤬
26d
For real. Like they could literally just send an email saying "hey your payment is on hold because XYZ" but nope, we have to call 1000 times to find out.
26d
the whole system is such BS 🤬 employers get away with so much garbage. "no work right now" is their way of avoiding responsibility for a workplace injury. stick it to them and file for workers comp!
Make sure your husband sees doctors who specifically ACCEPT workers comp cases. Not all do, and it can create huge problems if you see the wrong ones. Ask specifically when making appointments.
That's really good to know - his primary care doctor referred him to a specialist, but I'm not sure if either of them take workers comp. Will call and check right away.
26d
make sure you also freeze your credit at all 3 credit bureaus ASAP! if they have enough info to file unemployment in your name, they might try opening credit cards too
Anyone dealt with this knows how many HOURS of our lives we waste trying to fix it. I ended up having my state senator's office help me. Email them explaining the situation and they can often get things moving faster than you can on your own.
If you need to talk to an agent and don't want to waste your entire day on hold (because we all know trying to call NY unemployment is like trying to win the lottery 🙄), check out claimyr.com - they'll wait on hold for you and call when they get a human. I was skeptical but it actually worked and saved me hours of frustration.
yo is this for real? the hold times are why I just gave up on trying to fix my claim
26d
100% real. I was on hold for 3+ hours multiple days before I found them. Their system does all the waiting, then calls you when they get a person on the line. Wish I'd known about it months ago!
26d
FYI if this is a regular thing (like if ur hours get cut regularly) you might qualify for something called Shared Work where both you and your employer apply for partial unemployment. Way more stable than regular partial UI but ur employer has to be on board.
another day, another company promising to fix the unfixable unemployment system lol
Nah I was skeptical too but claimyr actually works. They don't fix anything - they just wait on hold for you. Check their reviews
26d
alright alright ill look into it. desperation level = 100 anyway so cant hurt
26d
So I was about to throw my phone after 3 hours on hold when I remembered my cousin said he used something called Claimyr. I tried it the next day and got through in about an hour. It's kinda genius - they just automate the annoying part (waiting forever on hold) then connect you when a human picks up. Game changer for real.
sauce? like a website or something?
26d
claimyr.com - they have tons of reviews online. just google it
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Chloe Martin
I know this sounds weird but try calling your local assembly person's office. My friend works for an assemblymember and they have direct connections to unemployment office staff. They can often solve these issues with one call that would take you months.
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Diego Rojas
can confirm this works! my state senator's office fixed my unemployment issue in 48 hours after i spent 3 weeks trying on my own
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Anastasia Sokolov
Something similar happened to me. The online portal is useless for special cases. After trying to call for weeks, I used Claimyr.com and they got me through to an agent who fixed everything in one call. Worth every penny because I was able to explain my unique situation directly.
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Sean O'Donnell
wait seriously? does that service actually work? ive been calling for weeks
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Anastasia Sokolov
Yes! I was super skeptical too but I was desperate. They connected me with a real agent in about an hour. The agent told me they're getting like 2000% more calls than normal so it's basically impossible to get through without help.
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