The 26 week thing is true but honestly the whole system is designed to discourage you from using it. They make the job search requirements more and more ridiculous, the website crashes constantly, and don't even get me started on trying to reach anyone by phone. I burned through my 26 weeks mostly fighting with their system instead of actually job hunting.

same boat here! just started collecting last month too. good luck with the job search, hopefully we both find something soon before the 26 weeks runs out

I tried both ways and here's what I learned: Online is definitely faster BUT if you have any special circumstances (like working out of state or multiple employers) you might need to talk to someone eventually. Start with online filing and only call if you absolutely have to.

Thanks everyone! This is super helpful. I'll definitely go with online filing and try to do it early in the morning like @Amina suggested. Good to know about documenting everything too - I'll make sure to screenshot everything just in case. Really appreciate all the advice!

Congrats! That's one less thing to worry about. The whole unemployment system is so stressful.

I went through this exact same situation a few months ago! "Not disqualified" means you've passed the separation determination review - basically NYS DOL confirmed that your job loss wasn't due to misconduct or voluntary quit without good cause. This is actually a major milestone in the process. In my case, I received my first payment about 5-6 days after seeing this status update. Just keep filing your weekly claims and stay patient - the hardest part is behind you now. The waiting is nerve-wracking but you're definitely heading in the right direction!

Pro tip: use the mobile app! Way easier than the website and you can do it from anywhere as long as you got service

Look Im gonna tell you exactly how this works cause I been in the system for a minute. You HAVE to certify between Sunday 7AM and Saturday midnight. No exceptions. If you miss it, you gotta call them and explain why, and trust me you DO NOT want that headache. They might make you wait weeks to get paid. Sunday morning is your best bet - do it early before the system gets overwhelmed. Don't try any tricks or loopholes cause they will catch you. If you really can't do it yourself on Sunday, your only options are either finding internet access wherever you're gonna be, or calling them through claimyr.com to explain your situation before it happens. Better to handle it upfront than fix it after.

Glad to hear you got it sorted out! This is such a common issue with the NY system. For anyone else reading this thread who's still stuck - the key takeaways seem to be: use the same device you originally verified with, wait at least 24 hours for their system to sync, and always go directly to the NYSDOL website rather than clicking email links. The ID.me integration is definitely buggy but these workarounds usually do the trick eventually.

I'm currently stuck in this exact same loop right now! It's so frustrating - I verified through ID.me yesterday and got the confirmation, but today when I try to continue with my claim it's asking me to verify AGAIN. Reading through everyone's solutions here, I'm going to try using my phone (same device I used yesterday) and wait the full 24 hours before attempting again. Really hoping this works because I can't afford to keep getting stuck in this cycle. Thanks for posting about this - at least I know I'm not the only one dealing with this buggy system!