NY unemployment stuck after ID.me verification issue with hyphenated name - weeks with no payment

Omg the same thing happened to my sister! Her last name is hyphenated too and ID.me was a complete nightmare for her. Took her almost 3 weeks to get verified and now she's been waiting for payments for almost 2 months. The whole system is broken.

After weeks of getting nowhere with the phone system, I tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and actually got through to a real agent. They basically call for you and when they reach a human, they connect you. Talking to an agent got my payments unlocked within 2 days after I'd been waiting for almost 2 months! Seriously it was the only way I could talk to a live agent. They even have a tutorial video here: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

You need to email your state assembly person ASAP. That's the only thing that worked for me. They have staff specifically to help with unemployment issues. Look up who represents your mom's district and email their office explaining everything. They contacted DOL on my behalf and my payments started 10 days later.

There is definitely something wrong with the ID.me system. My cousin had his account flagged because his name has an apostrophe in it! These system errors are keeping thousands of people from getting their money. NY unemployment needs to fix this YESTERDAY.

The thing is, after ID.me is resolved, there's still an internal review NY unemployment does. They DONT TELL YOU this is happening, but your account goes into a manual review queue that can take 4-8 weeks. The only way to expedite is to actually speak to someone. I finally got through after using claimyr.com and the agent told me this was exactly what happened to me.

Have your mom check if she has an action item in her message center on the DOL website. Sometimes there's a hidden document request or additional info they need but the system doesn't make it obvious.

Ok so heres what u need to do cuz I had something similar happen. Call 888-209-8124 exactly at 8:00am (not 8:01, not 7:59). Press 1 for english then press 9 to talk to a claims specialist. If u get the "we are experiencing high call volume" then hang up immediately and try again. sometmes it takes 30+ calls to get into the queue. once ur in the queue stay on hold 4ever until someone answers. took me 3.5 hrs on hold but finally got thru and fixed everything.

So sorry your mom is dealing with this! Unfortunately this is super common with the NY system right now. The hyphenated name issue has been a known problem for MONTHS and they still haven't fixed it. I actually got someone on the phone last week (miracle!) and they told me they have a special team just for fixing these ID verification issues now because so many people had problems.

Here's what probably happened: ID.me finally verified her, but there's a disconnect between ID.me and NYSDOL systems. My wife dealt with this same issue. After ID.me verification, NYSDOL still had to manually review her identity documentation. But they don't TELL YOU this is happening! You have to call and specifically ask if there's an identity verification flag still on the account. Once an agent removes it, payments will process within 3 business days.

I know this is going to sound crazy, but try messaging NY DOL on Twitter (or X or whatever it's called now). I was desperate after waiting 7 weeks with no payment and sent them a DM. Someone actually responded within a day and escalated my case. Had my money 4 days later. Worth a shot!

Listen, the BEST and most comprehensive way to resolve this is to do ALL of the following at once: 1. Call the unemployment office every day using claimyr.com (this was honestly the ONLY way I could get through after weeks of trying) 2. Email your state assembly person AND state senator (do both!) 3. File a complaint with the NY Department of Labor Advocate Office - you can find the form online 4. Check the message center daily for any hidden requests 5. Reach out on social media Basically, attack from all angles. The squeaky wheel gets the grease with NY unemployment. I did all of the above and miraculously started receiving payments within a week after being stuck for over a month. The agent I spoke with through claimyr.com was able to see exactly what was wrong (there was an identity verification flag still on my account even though ID.me had cleared me) and fixed it right away. Hope this helps! The system is incredibly frustrating but don't give up.

Check and see if theres a local unemployment office ur mom can visit in person. sometimes thats the best way to cut through all the BS and get answers. I drove 45 min to one and got my issue resolved in one visit after months of waiting.

the ny unemployment system is designed to be confusing and difficult on purpose. they WANT people to give up. dont let them win! keep calling, keep documenting everything. your mom is entitled to those benefits!

Has your mom tried contacting ID.me directly? Sometimes the issue is on their end not DOL. They have a support system and might be able to push something through on their side. Worth a shot while waiting to get through to unemployment.

Im in the same situation!!!!! It's been 7 WEEKS and nothing. ID.me verified me but NY unemployment shows nothing except my waiting week. ive been filing religiously every sunday. At this point im about to lose my apartment. The system is a joke.