Can't reach New York Unemployment? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
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Just wanted to follow up - were you able to get your ID.me verification sorted out? If you're still having issues, there's a specific pathway for state employees. You can request a referral code from your agency's HR department that can sometimes expedite the ID.me process. Not all HR reps know about this, so you might need to specifically ask for the "Trusted Referee Vouching" option.
I got it working! After trying multiple browsers and following the lighting suggestions, it finally accepted my verification. Now I'm just waiting for NYSDOL to process my claim. Thanks everyone for your help - this community saved me so much frustration!
Great to hear you got it working! For anyone else reading this thread in the future - the ID.me issues are usually technical (browser compatibility, camera settings, lighting) rather than eligibility-related. And as a tip, your ID.me verification will be valid for future years, so you won't have to go through this again next season.
As someone who's helped multiple state employees with this exact issue, I can confirm that ID.me verification problems are unfortunately super common. One tip that often works: if you've verified with ID.me for other services (like taxes), try logging into your existing ID.me account first, then navigating to the NY unemployment verification from there. Sometimes the system gets confused when you try to create a "new" verification for the same person. Also, if you're still stuck after trying the technical fixes others mentioned, document everything (screenshots, error messages, timestamps) - this helps tremendously when you do get through to support.
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ugh the whole system is such a mess!! i filed in december and it took FOREVER to get my first payment because they had to verify my identity or something. make sure you have all your documents ready - social security card, drivers license, work history for the past 18 months. and dont even get me started on the job search requirements - you have to apply to jobs even if theyre not really suitable just to meet the quota
Same here with the identity verification! It's so frustrating when you need the money right away.
Been on unemployment three times in the past decade. The key things to remember: file your weekly claims on time every week or you'll lose benefits for that week, be honest about any work you do (even temporary gigs), and keep detailed records of your job search. When I was on it last year my benefit amount was $504 per week which wasn't bad. The system has gotten better since COVID but there are still delays sometimes.
That's actually more money than I expected! How do they calculate the exact amount you get?
It's based on your highest earning quarter in your base period. NYS Department of Labor takes your total wages from that quarter, divides by 26, and that's your weekly benefit rate up to the maximum.
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Final update: The back pay finally hit my account this morning! All 3 weeks at once. Such a relief. For anyone else dealing with this - being persistent and specifically asking for a hardship review with a Tier 2 specialist seemed to make the difference. Thanks everyone for your help!
congrats! always nice to see when someone actually gets their money
thx for updating! gives me hope mine will come thru eventually
Congratulations Gabriel! This gives me so much hope. I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now - been waiting 5 weeks for back pay that's stuck in "pending review." I'm definitely going to try calling and specifically asking for a Tier 2 specialist for a hardship review like you did. The waiting is so stressful when you're counting on that money. Thanks for sharing your experience and keeping us updated throughout the process!
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This is so frustrating! I've been having the exact same issue since yesterday evening. I'm in Rochester and the website has been completely inaccessible - just keeps throwing that "service temporarily unavailable" error no matter what I try. I'm supposed to certify today and really need to make sure my payment processes on time. Reading through all these comments, it sounds like this claimyr.com service might be the only reliable way to actually talk to someone when the system is down like this. Has anyone who used it recently been able to get confirmation about their certification status? I'm worried that even if I can't access the website, I still need to certify by the deadline or risk missing payments.
I'm dealing with the exact same certification deadline stress! From what I've read in other threads, you usually have a grace period of a few days even if the system is down during your normal certification window - they can't penalize you for system issues that are on their end. But definitely try to get through to an agent if possible to confirm. I'm probably going to try that claimyr service too since multiple people here are saying it actually works. This whole situation is such a mess though - you'd think they'd have better backup systems in place by now!
Ugh, this is so frustrating! I'm having the exact same issue - been locked out since this morning and really need to check if my weekly certification processed. My landlord is already breathing down my neck about rent and I can't even confirm if I'll have the money. After reading through all these comments, I'm definitely going to try that claimyr.com service that everyone keeps mentioning. It sounds like it's the only way to actually talk to a real person when their prehistoric system crashes like this. Thanks for posting this - at least I know it's not just me going crazy trying every browser and device in my house! 🤦♀️
I totally feel your stress about the rent situation - that's exactly where I was yesterday! After seeing all these recommendations, I actually just tried claimyr.com myself about an hour ago and honestly, it worked better than I expected. They got me connected to an agent who was able to confirm my certification went through even though the website still isn't working. Definitely worth trying if you're as desperate as I was - way better than spending another day hitting refresh on a broken website!
Giovanni Rossi
This ID.me verification nightmare is exactly why I switched to documenting everything when dealing with NY unemployment. I keep screenshots of every step, save all confirmation emails, and even record the date/time I completed each process. When this happened to me in December, having that documentation made all the difference. The agent was able to use my timestamps to locate my verification in their system. Pro tip: if you haven't already, log back into your ID.me account and take screenshots of your completed verification status page - sometimes the agents can use that info to manually locate your record in their database. It's crazy that we have to do their job for them, but at least it gets results faster than waiting for their systems to sync properly.
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Lourdes Fox
•@Giovanni, that's excellent advice about documenting everything! I wish I had thought to take screenshots of my ID.me verification status page when I was going through this. For anyone else dealing with this issue, another thing that helped me was writing down the exact error messages or responses the DOL agents gave me each time I called. When I finally got through to someone who could actually help, I was able to tell them exactly what the previous agents had said, and it helped them understand that this was a system issue rather than me not completing the verification properly. It's frustrating that we have to become our own case managers, but your documentation strategy is spot on!
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Anastasia Kozlov
I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now and it's driving me crazy! Completed my ID.me verification 8 days ago, have the confirmation email, but when I finally got through to DOL yesterday they said there's no record of it. The agent even suggested I might have done it wrong, which was so frustrating because I literally have proof that it was completed successfully. Reading through all these comments is both helpful and infuriating - helpful because now I know what to ask for (Tier 2 specialist and the identity verification queue check), but infuriating because this is clearly a widespread system problem that DOL should have fixed by now. It's 2025 and their systems can't properly communicate with a third-party verification service? @Giovanni, congratulations on getting yours resolved! Can you share exactly what you said when you asked for the Tier 2 specialist? I want to make sure I use the right terminology when I call back tomorrow. This whole process shouldn't require us to become experts in their internal procedures just to get our own benefits released. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least I know I'm not going crazy and this really is a system-wide issue!
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