I'm also relatively new here but have been following this thread closely since I'm in a somewhat similar situation. What strikes me about all these responses is how consistent the advice is - document everything, know your rights regarding "suitable work," and don't be afraid to refuse offers that clearly don't meet the criteria. I'm currently 3 weeks into unemployment and have been worried about this exact scenario. It's really reassuring to see that NYS Department of Labor does have reasonable protections in place and that people have successfully refused unsuitable offers without losing their benefits. For anyone else reading this thread, it seems like the key takeaways are: 1) Substantial pay cuts, especially early in unemployment, are grounds for refusal 2) Jobs requiring skills you don't have can be refused 3) Excessive commutes are a valid concern 4) Document everything thoroughly 5) Continue your active job search in your field. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this has been incredibly educational!

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation right now! Got offered a position that's $9/hour less than my previous job, completely different industry, and about 50 minutes each way. After reading all these responses, I feel much more confident about refusing it. What really helped me was calculating the actual cost - between gas, car maintenance, and the time investment for that commute, plus the massive pay cut, I'd actually be losing money compared to staying on unemployment and continuing to search in my field. I'm documenting everything like everyone suggested: the original offer details, salary comparison, commute costs breakdown, and my lack of relevant experience for this type of work. It's so helpful to see that multiple people have been in similar situations and NYS Department of Labor was reasonable about it. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this thread is going to save me a lot of anxiety when I file my weekly claim!

I'm going through this exact same frustrating issue right now! The NY unemployment system keeps rejecting my mother's name when I try to update my direct deposit. After reading through all these incredibly helpful responses, I realize I need to be way more systematic about this. I think my problem might be that I used my mom's maiden name when I originally applied but I've been trying to enter her married name now. I'm going to dig through my old emails from 2020 to see if I can find any confirmation messages that show exactly what I originally entered. The tip about checking for middle initials, extra spaces, and even punctuation like hyphens or apostrophes is so helpful - I never would have thought the system would be that picky about formatting after all these years! I'm also going to try using the desktop website instead of mobile since several people mentioned that works better. It's honestly ridiculous that we have to go through detective work just to update our banking info, but at least now I have a real game plan instead of just randomly guessing. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions! This thread has been way more helpful than anything on the official DOL website. I'll definitely update if I figure out what my specific formatting issue was. We're all suffering through this broken system together! 😅

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! The NY unemployment system is so frustrating with these verification problems. After reading through everyone's helpful experiences here, I'm realizing I probably need to dig through my old emails to find my original application details. I think my issue might be similar to what others mentioned - I probably used a different version of my mom's name back in 2020 than what I'm trying now. Maybe I used her maiden name originally, or included/excluded a middle initial. The system being so picky about exact formatting after all these years is honestly ridiculous, but at least now I know what to look for. Going to try the systematic approach people suggested: check old emails, test maiden vs married name, try with/without middle names, and watch out for extra spaces or punctuation. Also switching to desktop instead of mobile since that seems to work better. Thanks everyone for sharing your solutions! This thread is way more helpful than the official DOL website. I'll update if I figure out what my specific formatting issue was. It's good to know we're all dealing with this broken system together! 🙏

This thread has been SO helpful - I'm going through the exact same thing right now! I work part-time at a grocery store (15-20 hours/week) and the system just triggered this "employer information" request even though nothing about my job has changed. It's actually kind of wild how many people are experiencing this identical glitch. Based on everyone's advice, I'm going to enter my employer info again and select "Other" with "Still employed part-time" as the explanation. But honestly, it's pretty concerning that the NY unemployment system has such a basic flaw that affects so many part-time workers and there's apparently no timeline for fixing it. We're already stressed enough trying to make ends meet with reduced hours - the last thing we need is the system creating phantom problems that could potentially mess up our benefits. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions. It really helps to know we're not alone in dealing with this frustrating system bug!

This exact same thing just happened to me this week! I've been working part-time at a bookstore for about 6 weeks now, consistently 10-14 hours per week, and suddenly the system is asking me to re-enter all my employer information and explain why I'm "no longer working there." I'm literally scheduled to work tomorrow! Reading through everyone's experiences here is such a relief - I was starting to think I had accidentally clicked something wrong or that my employer had reported something incorrectly. It's crazy that this is such a widespread issue with the NY system and they still haven't fixed it. The fact that it seems to affect anyone with variable part-time hours is really concerning since that describes so many jobs nowadays. I'm going to follow the advice here about selecting "Other" and writing "Still employed part-time" but I'm also going to try calling to get it noted on my account like AstroAce did. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's really helpful to know the steps that have worked for others dealing with this same glitch!

I had the exact same problem a few months ago! What worked for me was going through the my.ny.gov portal and using the "Account Recovery" option instead of just the PIN reset. It walks you through verifying your identity with multiple pieces of information (SSN, DOB, address, etc.) and then lets you create a completely new PIN. It took about 10-15 minutes but was way better than trying to get through on the phone. Just make sure you have all your personal info handy when you start the process.

I went through this exact same situation a couple weeks ago! One thing that helped me was making sure I was using the right browser - some people have issues with the my.ny.gov site on certain browsers. I had to switch from Chrome to Firefox to get the reset process to work properly. Also, if you're still getting stuck on security questions, try thinking about what answers you might have used back in October when you first set up the account - sometimes we use slightly different versions of the same answer (like "Main St" vs "Main Street"). Clear your browser cache before trying again too, that seemed to help with some of the technical glitches I was having.

I feel your pain! I had the same issue a few months ago and was getting nowhere with the regular phone lines. What finally saved me was contacting my local assemblyperson's office - they have a constituent services department that can sometimes help expedite unemployment issues. I called my assembly member's district office, explained the situation, and they were able to reach out to the DOL on my behalf. Got a call back from a DOL supervisor within 3 days and my payment hold was resolved that same week. You can find your assemblyperson here: https://nyassembly.gov/mem/search/ Worth a shot while you're also trying the phone strategies others mentioned. Sometimes going through an elected official's office gets better results than the regular channels. Make sure to mention that your employer is contesting and you need to provide your side of the story about the hour reduction - that shows it's not just a routine inquiry.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - my claim has been pending for 3 weeks after my employer disputed it. Based on all the advice here, I'm going to try a combination approach: calling at 8:05am on Wednesday using the "technical support" option, and if that doesn't work within a few days, I'll contact my assemblyperson's office. For anyone else reading this thread later, it seems like the key strategies are: - Call at off-peak times (8:03-8:05am, Tuesday/Wednesday, or 1:15pm) - Try different menu options ("technical support" vs "claim status") - Use registered phone number - Have all documentation ready - Consider Claimyr service as backup - Contact assemblyperson's office for contested claims Alice, I hope you get through soon - the reduced hours situation should definitely qualify you for benefits under constructive discharge rules once you can explain it to someone. Keep us posted on what works!