Need help getting my friend's documents to NY unemployment without social media

Went through the same nightmare back in February. The system is designed to make people give up. Try having her fax the documents if possible - sometimes the older methods actually work better with these dinosaur agencies.

After weeks of trying to call and getting nowhere, I tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and it was a game changer. They basically wait on hold for you then call when they get a real person. Talking to an agent got my $ unlocked so fast compared to the endless phone tag game. Check out this video that explains it: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

Tell her to try contacting her state rep! I was stuck in limbo for 6 weeks, called my assemblymember's office and magically my claim was processed 3 days later. They have special contacts within the unemployment office.

The whole no social media thing makes it SO MUCH HARDER because NY unemployment has been using Twitter to help people with claims (which is ridiculous but whatever). If she can stomach it, might be worth making a temp Twitter just to DM them. That's how I finally got help.

OMG THE DOCUMENT UPLOAD SYSTEM IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST 🤬 I had to try 4 different browsers before it worked. Tell her to try Microsoft Edge specifically - for whatever reason that was the only one that worked for me.

Here's exactly what she needs to do (I work as a career counselor and help people with this all the time): 1. If the online system isn't working, she should mail physical copies of all documents with a cover letter explaining the situation. Send it certified mail so there's proof of delivery. 2. Simultaneously, call right when they open (7:30am) - that's when wait times are shortest. 3. While waiting for that to process, contact her state representative AND state senator (do both). Their offices can often expedite claims. 4. If she has access to a fax machine, fax the documents as well with a clear cover sheet listing her claim ID and contact info. 5. Try claimyr.com if she's still having trouble reaching someone by phone. I've had several clients use it successfully to get through when they were desperate. The system is incredibly frustrating but persistence through MULTIPLE channels simultaneously is what works. Don't put all hopes in one method.

not to sound like a conspiracy theorist but they DELIBERATELY make it hard to submit docs and reach them. less people getting benefits = less money they have to pay out. keep pushing and don't give up, that's what they want

does she have access to a library? the one near me has unemployment specialists who help people submit documents and navigate the system. totally free service too

After 3 weeks of trying everything, i finally just went in person to the office at 6am (2 hours before they opened) and waited in line. Was one of the first people in and FINALLY got everything resolved. Sometimes you gotta do the extreme route if nothing else works.

tell ur friend shes not alone, i think half of new york is stuck in unemployment purgatory rn. took me 3 months to get my first payment 😩

In case nobody mentioned it yet - make sure all her docs are PDF format (not jpg or png) and under 2MB each. The system rejected mine 6 times before someone told me this was why.

Since no one else mentioned it - sometimes the NY unemployment website works COMPLETELY differently on mobile vs desktop. Have her try submitting from a completely different device if possible.

im in ur exact same boat frfr. what helped me was calling at EXACTLY 7:30:00 am when they first open. like literally set an alarm for 7:29 and be ready to dial. still took a few tries but WAY better than calling midday when its impossible

I was in the same situation and honestly Claimyr.com saved me. It's the only way I could connect with a live person after weeks of trying. Got my claim sorted in one call after they connected me. It's worth checking out if she's desperate - https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE has more info.

Has she tried emailing them at the claims support email? Takes forever to get a response (like 5-7 days) but they eventually did help me submit docs when the portal wasn't working.