did anyone else notice that the verification system works better on Explorer than Chrome? weird but I finally got thru using my old laptop with Explorer after Chrome kept crashing

I'm dealing with the same identity verification nightmare right now! Been stuck for over a week and my claim is on hold. The online system keeps timing out when I try to upload documents. Reading through all these comments, it sounds like the phone verification is definitely possible but getting through is the real challenge. @Anastasia Sokolov thanks for sharing that new callback system info - I'm going to check if I'm in that queue since I've definitely failed the online verification more than 3 times. Has anyone tried the early morning calling strategy that @Luca Esposito mentioned? I might set my alarm for 7:55am tomorrow and start dialing right before they open. At this point I'm willing to try anything - my rent is due next week and I can't afford to wait much longer for this to get resolved.

The system has been pretty reliable lately but I'd still recommend not waiting until Sunday night to file. Weekday mornings seem to work best in my experience. Also double-check everything before submitting because fixing mistakes later is a huge pain with NYS Department of Labor.

Just went through this process myself two weeks ago! The application took me about 40 minutes, but I had to stop and hunt down some old pay stubs. Pro tip: if you're still employed, try to get a copy of your recent pay statements and employment letter before your last day - HR departments are usually more helpful while you're still on payroll. Also, file as soon as possible after your separation date. I waited three days thinking I needed to "settle in" first and ended up kicking myself because those are days I could have been accumulating benefits. The waiting period for approval is real though - still haven't gotten my first payment yet but at least the claim is processing.

8.5% is definitely high! I remember during the recession it got up to like 12% in some areas and that's when all the extended programs kicked in. You should definitely be eligible for something extra.

I'm in a similar situation - been on UI for about 14 weeks and my county's unemployment rate is around 9.2%. From what I've researched, New York does have Extended Benefits but they're tied to both state and federal triggers. The state trigger is usually around 6.5% as others mentioned, but there's also a federal component that looks at how current rates compare to previous years. I'd recommend checking the NYS DOL website weekly since EB status can change month to month. Also, if you're getting close to exhausting your regular benefits, make sure you keep certifying even if the system seems to glitch - I heard some people had issues with automatic transitions to EB programs.

This reminds me of when I was unemployed in 2019 and kept hearing about how great the job market was. Turns out we were getting close to that danger zone of too-low unemployment. Then 2020 hit and... well, we all know what happened. Now I'm back on unemployment again and at least the NYS Department of Labor system seems more prepared this time.

interesting question OP! never thought about it that way

Just to add some actual numbers - in NY, employers pay UI tax on the first $12,000 of each employee's wages. The rates range from 0.6% to 7.2% depending on their experience rating (how many claims they've had). So yeah, they definitely have financial incentive to get you back on payroll even part time.

Thanks for all the detailed explanations everyone! This is super eye-opening. I had no idea there was this whole system behind unemployment where employers basically get "charged" for layoffs through higher tax rates. It definitely makes sense now why my old manager suddenly reached out about part-time work after months of nothing. I'm going to call unemployment tomorrow to ask about the partial benefits thing - sounds like I might be able to work some hours and still get reduced benefits which could actually work out better than just the $410/week. Really appreciate everyone breaking this down!