if ur really desperate (which sounds like u are) and have a few hours to spare, try this trick: call the spanish language line and then ask to be transferred to english services. the wait times are usually waaaaay shorter 👀

I'm dealing with something similar right now - my ID.me worked fine for months then suddenly started showing as invalid last week. After reading through all these suggestions, I think I'm going to try the assembly representative route first since that seems to have worked for multiple people here. The automated calling services like Claimyr also sound promising if the political route doesn't pan out. It's honestly insane that we have to jump through all these hoops just to access benefits we're entitled to. Hope you get it sorted out soon - the stress of not knowing when your next payment is coming is brutal.

Just wanted to add - make sure you document EVERYTHING. Every call attempt, every letter you send, every person you speak to. If this does end up going to a hearing, having a paper trail of your efforts to resolve it will help your case tremendously. Also check if any of your personal information was involved in data breaches - you can use the Have I Been Pwned website to check if your email was in any known breaches.

Final advice: When you do get through to someone, request that they place a "fraud alert" flag on your file in their system. This will prevent any future claims from being automatically processed under your SSN without additional verification steps. Also, for future reference, you can set up an account on the NYSDOL website even if you're not currently claiming benefits - this allows you to monitor if anyone tries to file using your information again.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A MESS! I waited 7 weeks for my claim to get approved and when I finally got through to someone they said there was a 'computer glitch' that held up my case. Meanwhile I'm behind on rent and can barely afford groceries. NYS Department of Labor needs to get their act together!

To answer your earlier question about adjudication - it can be triggered by several things: if you were fired vs laid off, if there are discrepancies in your work history, if you had multiple employers, or if your employer contests your claim. The good news is that most claims do get approved eventually, it just takes patience unfortunately.

oh wow i need to file soon too, my last day is next friday. good to know it might take a while. do you have to wait until after your last day to file or can you do it before?

I filed my claim about 3 weeks ago and just got my first payment last week, so it was right around that 2-4 week timeframe that Clay mentioned. One thing that helped speed up my process was making sure I had all my employment documentation ready - like pay stubs and your separation notice from your employer. Also definitely set up direct deposit if you haven't already, it's faster than waiting for a check in the mail. Hang in there, I know the waiting is stressful but it does come through eventually!

If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check on your claim status, I used a service called Claimyr that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have this system where they call for you and get you through the phone queue - saved me hours of being on hold. Check out claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Might be worth it if you need to speak to someone about your claim.

The whole system is so slow it's ridiculous. They expect people to survive with no income while they take their sweet time processing paperwork. I waited 5 weeks for my first payment because of some stupid verification issue.