I went through something similar when I got terminated from my office job about 8 months ago. The key thing is to apply right away and be completely honest about what happened. When NYS Department of Labor asks about the reason for separation, explain that you were told it was for performance but you believe it may have been retaliation for raising legitimate workplace concerns. Document everything you can remember about the scheduling complaints you made and when you made them. Even if the adjudication process takes a while, you want to get your claim date established as early as possible since benefits are calculated from when you first file, not when they approve it. Don't let the termination discourage you from applying - plenty of people who were fired still qualify for benefits.

I'm going through this exact situation right now - got fired three weeks ago and just got approved for benefits after the adjudication process. The most important thing is to file your claim immediately, even while you're unsure about eligibility. NYS Department of Labor will sort out the details, but you don't want to lose any potential benefit weeks by waiting. When I filed, I was completely honest about being terminated for performance issues, and I made sure to mention that I had raised concerns about workplace conditions beforehand. The adjudication took about 5 weeks for me, which was nerve-wracking, but they ultimately determined that poor performance without willful misconduct still qualifies you for benefits. Also, if you're struggling financially while waiting for the decision, look into local food banks and emergency assistance programs - many don't require you to be approved for unemployment first. Hang in there, the system does work even though it's slow and stressful.

I just went through this same nightmare last month! What finally worked for me was using a different device entirely - I borrowed my roommate's tablet and it went through on the first try. Sometimes ID.me just doesn't play nice with certain device/browser combinations for reasons nobody can explain. Also make sure you're not using any VPN or proxy - that can mess with their location verification. If you're still stuck, try doing it at a different time of day too. I found early morning (like 7-8 AM) worked better than peak hours when their servers are probably overloaded. Hope this helps!

I just want to add something that helped me when I was stuck on the ID.me verification for weeks - if you have any browser extensions running (especially password managers, ad blockers, or privacy tools like Ghostery), try disabling ALL of them temporarily. I know it sounds like overkill, but ID.me's upload system is really sensitive to anything that might interfere with their scripts. I was pulling my hair out until I tried a completely clean browser session with no extensions, and suddenly everything worked. Also, if you're on mobile, try enabling "Desktop Site" mode in your browser - sometimes their mobile interface has bugs that the desktop version doesn't have. The whole system is frustrating but there are definitely ways around the technical issues!

This EXACT same thing happened to me about 3 weeks ago! I was working part-time at a bookstore (about 16 hours/week, making around $200) and boom - "break in claim" message appeared out of nowhere. It's like the system punishes you for trying to work while on unemployment. I tried everything - online portal, messaging system, calling at different times. Finally got through after using that claimyr.com service that everyone's been mentioning (honestly didn't believe it would work but I was desperate). Got connected to an agent in about 45 minutes and she explained that their computer system has some glitch where it automatically flags part-time work as "return to full employment" sometimes. The agent reopened my claim immediately and I got my back payments within a few days. She also made a note on my account so it shouldn't happen again when I report similar hours. The most frustrating part is that you're doing exactly what you're supposed to do - reporting your work honestly - and the system basically breaks because of it. Keep trying to get through, and once you do, it should be a quick fix. The actual resolution is easy, it's just getting to a human that's nearly impossible. Hang in there!

This is such a common problem and it's absolutely maddening! The same thing happened to me when I started doing some freelance writing work - reported everything honestly, worked maybe 12 hours a week making $180, and suddenly got hit with the "break in claim" message. The NY unemployment system seems to have this ridiculous glitch where any part-time work triggers their computer to think you've gone back to full-time employment. It's like they designed it to discourage people from working part-time while collecting benefits, which is completely backwards. I spent almost 2 weeks trying to get through by calling constantly. What finally worked for me was calling at exactly 7:30 AM when they open - I had to redial about 15 times but eventually got through. The agent explained that this is a known issue with their system and was able to reopen my claim in literally 5 minutes. Got all my back payments within a few days after that. One thing the agent told me that might help - try to be super consistent with how you report your hours and earnings each week. Same format, same level of detail. Apparently the system gets confused when there are variations in how the information is entered. I know a bunch of people in this thread have mentioned claimyr.com and honestly, I wish I'd known about it earlier. Would have saved me days of frustration calling on my own. The whole situation is designed to make you give up, but don't! Once you get a human on the line, they can fix it quickly.

I recently had to update my address when I moved from upstate to the NYC area, and the process was pretty smooth overall. Like others have mentioned, you'll go through the identity verification which is totally normal - just have your SSN and some basic personal info ready. One thing I'd add is that if you're moving between different regions of the state, it's worth double-checking that your local One-Stop Career Center information gets updated too, since they sometimes send notifications about job fairs and workshops to your local center. The address change itself didn't affect my weekly claims at all, and payments continued without interruption. The whole thing took maybe 15 minutes once I got logged in. Just make sure you keep filing your weekly certifications on schedule while the change processes!

I just went through this same process a couple weeks ago! The my.ny.gov system worked great for me. Go to your account, click on "Personal Information" and you'll see fields for both mailing and residential addresses. The identity verification step is totally normal - it's just asking you to confirm some basic info like your SSN and maybe answer a security question. Took me about 10-15 minutes total. I got a confirmation email within 24 hours and my next benefit payment went to the new address without any issues. Don't worry about it affecting your claim status - address changes are routine as long as you're still eligible to work in NY. Just make sure to update both addresses if your mailing and residential are different, and keep filing your weekly claims on schedule while it processes!

Thanks for sharing this question - I'm actually going through something similar right now! I filed my claim about 10 days ago and haven't heard anything yet, so I'm assuming my employer probably got the Request for Information form by now. It's nerve-wracking not knowing what they're going to say, especially when you didn't leave on the best terms. Has anyone here had experience with what happens if there are conflicting stories between what you reported and what your employer says?

I went through this process about 6 months ago and can confirm what others have said about the formal notice. In my case, NYS Department of Labor sent the Request for Information form to my employer via mail, and they also have an online portal where employers can respond. One thing I learned is that if you were laid off due to lack of work or company downsizing, the process is usually pretty straightforward since there's no dispute about misconduct. But if you quit or were fired, that's when things can get more complicated. My advice is to be completely honest in your application and keep records of anything that supports your reason for separation - performance reviews, emails, witness contact info, etc. The good news is that NYS generally sides with employees unless there's clear evidence of misconduct or voluntary quit without good cause.