How long does identity verification take for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor?
Filed my claim two weeks ago and it's been stuck on identity verification this whole time. I uploaded my driver's license and social security card through the my.ny.gov portal but haven't heard anything back from NYS Department of Labor. My claim status just says 'pending identity verification' with no timeline given. Starting to stress about bills piling up. Anyone know how long this usually takes?
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Miguel Ramos
Identity verification typically takes 7-14 business days, but it can stretch longer during high-volume periods. Make sure you uploaded clear, legible photos of your documents. If any part of your ID is blurry or cut off, they'll reject it and you'll have to start over. You should receive an email notification once it's approved or if they need additional documentation.
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Ava Martinez
•Thanks! I thought the photos looked clear but maybe I should double-check. Do they send any kind of confirmation that they received the documents?
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QuantumQuasar
mine took almost 3 weeks last month... kept checking every day and then one morning it was just approved. no email or anything just had to keep logging in to see the status change
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Zainab Omar
•Same here! The waiting is the worst part. I called like 50 times trying to get through to someone but never could get past the busy signal.
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Connor Gallagher
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone to check on your verification status, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really saved me from the endless busy signals when I needed to resolve my identity verification delay.
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Ava Martinez
•Never heard of that before. Did they actually help you get answers about the verification process?
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Connor Gallagher
•Yeah, got connected to a NYS Department of Labor rep within like 20 minutes. They were able to tell me exactly what was holding up my verification and what I needed to resubmit.
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Yara Sayegh
Been waiting 4 weeks now and STILL nothing! This system is completely broken. How are people supposed to survive while NYS Department of Labor takes forever to do basic identity checks? Meanwhile rent is due and I'm eating ramen every night.
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Keisha Johnson
•I feel you on this. The whole process feels designed to frustrate people into giving up.
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Paolo Longo
Just wanted to update - mine finally got approved after 11 business days. Didn't get any notification though, just had to keep checking my account. Once it cleared, my first payment showed up 3 days later. Hang in there!
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Alexis Robinson
I'm going through the exact same thing right now - filed 10 days ago and still stuck on identity verification. It's so frustrating not having any clear timeline or way to check the status beyond just logging in repeatedly. Has anyone tried contacting their local assembly member's office? I heard sometimes they can help expedite these cases, but not sure if that actually works for identity verification delays.
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Ethan Clark
•I haven't tried contacting my assembly member yet, but that's actually a really good idea! I'm at the 2-week mark now and getting pretty anxious about when this will get resolved. Did you end up reaching out to yours? I'm wondering if they have any pull with NYS Department of Labor or if it's just another dead end like calling the regular phone line.
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