This is heartbreaking to read about your friend's situation. While the others are absolutely right about the legal requirements for unemployment benefits, I want to emphasize how important it is for your friend to be extremely cautious. Using someone else's Social Security number is considered identity theft under federal law, and filing for benefits could potentially expose them to serious legal consequences beyond just being denied. I would strongly encourage them to speak with an immigration attorney immediately - many offer free consultations or work on sliding scale fees. The attorney can help assess their overall situation and advise on the safest path forward. In the meantime, the community organizations others mentioned are definitely the way to go for immediate support with food and basic needs.

I'm really glad to see so many people offering thoughtful advice and resources here. As someone who has worked with immigrant communities, I want to emphasize that your friend's safety should be the absolute top priority right now. The advice about contacting immigration attorneys and community organizations like Make the Road NY is spot on. I'd also suggest looking into local churches and community centers - many have emergency funds or food assistance that don't require documentation. Catholic Charities and other faith-based organizations often help regardless of status. In terms of work, day labor centers and some construction/restaurant jobs may be more flexible, though I understand the challenges there. Your friend has been contributing to their community through their work, and now it's time for the community to support them back. Please encourage them to reach out to these organizations soon - the sooner they connect with proper support systems, the better positioned they'll be to navigate this difficult period safely.

Also make sure ur checking ur unemployment messages every day!! sometimes they send weird questionnaires u gotta answer right away or they stop ur payments!!!

Just want to echo what everyone else is saying - definitely don't file a new claim! I work part-time for a small business that has seasonal shutdowns, and I've been through this exact situation multiple times. The key is to stay on your current claim and just accurately report your work status each week. During the renovation weeks, you'll report zero work days and zero earnings, and you should receive your full weekly benefit amount. When you return to work after renovations, just start reporting your work days again normally. The system handles these temporary work interruptions really well as long as you don't try to start a new claim. Your supervisor probably means well but like others mentioned, most employers don't really understand the technical side of unemployment claims. Stick with your current claim and you'll be fine!

Had the exact same issue last week! What finally worked for me was using a different device entirely - tried my phone instead of laptop and it went through immediately. Also make sure you're using the correct URL (labor.ny.gov/signin) because there are some fake lookalike sites that will mess with your login attempts. If all else fails, definitely try that claimyr service people are mentioning - heard good things about it from others in this group.

I've been dealing with this for weeks and finally got through! Try using the mobile app instead of the website - for some reason it's way more stable. Also, if you have any special characters in your password (like @, #, etc.), try changing it to just letters and numbers. The system seems to have issues with special characters even though it allows them when you create the password. Super frustrating but hopefully one of these solutions works for you!

I heard the ny unemployment system hired a bunch of new people but didnt train em properly so half of em don't even kno what there doing when u get em on the phone. my cousin works there and says its a mess behind the scenes

I went through the same nightmare last month - missing $2,100 in payments and getting nowhere with the regular channels. What finally worked for me was contacting my state senator's office (not assembly, but senator). They have a constituent services team that handles unemployment issues specifically. I found my senator through nysenate.gov, filled out their online form describing the problem, and got a callback within 48 hours. The senator's office contacted NYSDOL directly and my payments were released within a week. Also, keep detailed records of every call attempt - date, time, how long you waited, what happened. This documentation helps when you escalate. Don't give up, the system is broken but there are ways around it if you know the right pressure points.

Same boat here, been waiting since December for my standby status to be approved. The system definitely needs major reforms but in the meantime we're all just stuck dealing with it. At least knowing other people are going through the same thing makes me feel less alone in this mess.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now - filed my claim in March and still waiting in adjudication. What's really frustrating is how the NYS DOL website gives you zero information about what's actually happening with your case or how much longer it might take. I've tried calling dozens of times and either get disconnected or told to "keep waiting." It feels like they designed this system to discourage people from getting their benefits. Has anyone had luck contacting their local assembly member's office? I'm thinking about trying that route since the regular channels aren't working at all.