Honestly the whole unemployment system is set up wrong! How are new graduates supposed to survive if they can't get benefits because they never worked but they can't work because nobody will hire someone without experience?? Its like a catch 22 and the government doesn't care about helping young people get started

I was in a similar boat a couple years ago - graduated with no real work history and couldn't get UI benefits. One thing that helped me was applying for entry-level positions at temp agencies. Even short-term assignments start building your work history and get you W-2s that count toward future UI eligibility. Places like Kelly Services, Robert Half, and local staffing agencies often have admin, warehouse, or customer service roles that don't require much experience. It's not ideal but at least you're earning money while building the work history you'll need if you ever have to use unemployment benefits later. Plus some temp jobs turn into permanent positions.

Just went through this myself last week! The ID.me verification is definitely legit and required now. I was super hesitant at first too because of all the scam stories, but it's actually the real deal. Make sure you're going through the official NY unemployment site (labor.ny.gov) and not clicking any links from emails. The whole process took me about 20 minutes - had to take photos of my driver's license front and back, then do the selfie verification. My lighting wasn't great the first time so I had to redo the selfie part, but it worked fine on the second try. Once you're verified, updating your direct deposit info is pretty straightforward. It's annoying that they didn't really announce this change clearly, but I guess it's necessary with all the fraud that's been happening.

I just went through this exact same thing yesterday! The ID.me verification is definitely required now for any banking or personal info changes. I was super paranoid about it too after hearing about all the fraud, but it's completely legitimate. The NY Department of Labor rolled this out earlier this year because of all the unemployment scams that happened during the pandemic. A few tips that helped me get through it faster: - Make sure you have good lighting when taking the selfie - Clean your phone camera lens first - Have your driver's license ready (make sure it's not expired!) - Use the official labor.ny.gov site, never click links from emails The whole process took me about 15 minutes. The facial recognition part can be a bit finicky, but if it fails a few times you can request to do a video call with an ID.me agent instead. Once you're verified, you're good to go for all future changes too - you won't have to do it again. I totally get being cautious about giving out personal info, but this is the new normal for government benefits unfortunately. Better safe than sorry with all the hackers out there!

good luck with that, the system is rigged against workers. I had a slam dunk case with documented harassment and they still denied me initially. Took 4 months of appeals to finally get approved

I went through a similar situation last year and won my appeal. The key is being very specific about how the hostile environment affected your ability to do your job. Don't just list incidents - explain how each one made it impossible to continue working there. Also, if you have any medical documentation showing stress or anxiety from the situation, that can really strengthen your case. The hearing officer wants to see that you exhausted all reasonable options before quitting. Keep pushing - these cases can be won with the right evidence and presentation.

just make sure you understand that even if you win the appeal you might not get backpay right away - took them like 3 months to process mine after i won

The appeal process can definitely feel overwhelming but you're absolutely right to pursue it if your employer is making false claims about misconduct. I went through something similar where my employer tried to claim I was terminated for cause when I was actually laid off due to budget cuts. The key things that helped me win were: 1) Keep detailed records of everything - save any performance reviews, emails, or documentation that shows you were a good employee, 2) If there were any witnesses to conversations about your termination, ask them if they'd be willing to testify, and 3) Practice explaining your side of the story clearly and calmly. The judges really do listen to both sides fairly. Also remember that the burden is on your employer to prove misconduct occurred, not on you to prove it didn't. Stay organized with your paperwork and don't let the legal-sounding process intimidate you!

same boat here OP, filed regular UI then found out about standby later. everything worked out fine just had to update my status

This is exactly why I wish NYS Department of Labor would create a simple flowchart or decision tree on their website! Like "Is your employer expecting to recall you within 8 weeks? Yes = standby status, No = regular UI." It's frustrating that we have to piece this information together from forums and hope we're interpreting it correctly. At least this thread is super helpful - I'm bookmarking it in case I ever need to reference the standby vs shared work vs regular UI differences again.