Waited 2 months for NY unemployment, finally called and found out I needed ID.me verification
I've been waiting almost 2 months for my NY unemployment claim to process without hearing ANYTHING back from them. I kept thinking they would contact me when they needed something from me, but apparently that was my mistake. Finally decided I waited long enough and called them today. The agent told me my claim has been stuck because I needed to register with ID.me!!! How was I supposed to know that if they never reached out to tell me?? Seriously frustrating. And after all that, she just says my claim is "still processing" 😒😒😒 So basically I'm right back where I started, still waiting. Has anyone else had this happen? Do I need to do anything else besides the ID.me verification? Or am I just supposed to keep waiting forever?
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Hannah White
NYSDOL doesn't always notify you when there's a verification requirement holding up your claim. It's super frustrating but pretty common. Once you complete the ID.me verification, your claim should start moving again within 7-10 business days. If you haven't done it yet, go to the NY unemployment website, click on your claim, and there should be a link to complete the ID.me process. Make sure you have your driver's license/ID and be ready to take a selfie for the verification.
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Nick Kravitz
•Thank you! I did the ID.me verification right after I called - took like 30 minutes with all the photo verification steps. Hoping this actually gets things moving now. Do you think I should call again next week to check on it or just wait?
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Michael Green
Been there! NYSDOL's communication is TERRIBLE. I waited 3 months last year before finally calling, and guess what? Same exact thing - they needed ID.me verification that they never told me about! I was so mad. Best advice: call them first thing in the morning (7:45am-8:15am) if you need to follow up. Waaaaay shorter wait times than midday calls.
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Nick Kravitz
•3 MONTHS?? That's insane. Thanks for the tip about morning calls - I had no idea. I was always trying midday and waiting forever. I'll definitely try early morning if I need to call again.
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Mateo Silva
After you complete ID.me, it can still take 2-3 weeks for them to process. If you want to actually get someone on the phone without the crazy wait times, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending hours redialing. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - totally worth it when you're dealing with these endless delays.
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Victoria Jones
•Does that service rly work? I've been trying to call unemployment for a week straight and cant get thru at ALL. might try this if it actually works
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Mateo Silva
•Yeah it actually does. I was skeptical too but after trying to call for 3 days straight with no luck, I tried it and got through. The video on their site shows exactly how it works. Saved me hours of redial frustration.
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Cameron Black
The whole system is designed to make u give up. Its pathetic how they treat ppl who need help. I had 2 verify with ID.me also but nobody told me either until I called. then after that there was ANOTHER issue they didnt tell me about. call again in a week if u dont see movement on ur claim after the ID.me thing
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Nick Kravitz
•Ugh, seriously? What was the other issue they didn't tell you about? Now I'm worried there will be more delays even after the ID.me verification.
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Cameron Black
•they said i needed 2 upload paystubs from my last employer even tho I already sent that stuff in with my initial claim!! make sure u ask them specifically if theres ANYTHING else they need from u
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Jessica Nguyen
had the same issue in january. did the id.me thing and then waited another 3 weeks with no updates. turns out they also needed me to verify my employment history AGAIN even though i already did that when i first applied. definitely call back in a week to check on status
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Hannah White
One more tip - while you're waiting, make absolutely sure you're still doing your weekly certifications. Even though your initial claim is pending, you need those weekly certifications on file to get paid for those weeks once your claim is approved. A lot of people miss this and lose out on weeks of benefits they should have received.
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Nick Kravitz
•Thank you for mentioning this! I have been doing the weekly certifications even though I haven't received anything yet. At least I'm doing something right!
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Isaiah Thompson
I waited for like 6 weeks then i tried calling like a hundred times. never got through to anyone. my neighbor told me she was having same problem until her sister who works at a community center told her about going through your state assembly person. i contacted my assembly members office and they have a person who deals with unemployment issues. they contacted nysdol for me and suddenly my claim started moving. might be worth a try if things dont move soon
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Nick Kravitz
•That's a really good idea, thank you! I never would have thought of contacting my assembly person. If this drags on much longer I'll definitely try that approach.
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Victoria Jones
is anyone else having trouble with the site today? i keep getting a server error. cant even log in to do my weekly certification
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Jessica Nguyen
•seems ok for me just now. maybe try clearing your browser cache or use a different browser?
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Victoria Jones
•thx ill try that
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Hannah White
Just wanted to follow up on this - did your claim start moving after completing the ID.me verification? For most people, it takes about 7-10 business days after verification for things to start moving, but it can sometimes be longer if there are other issues with the claim.
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Nick Kravitz
•Yes! Finally got approved yesterday - almost 2.5 months after my initial application. After the ID.me verification, it still took about 2 weeks before I saw any movement. Then suddenly I got an email that my claim was approved and the payments should start this week. Such a relief! For anyone else dealing with this - don't just wait like I did, call them and be persistent!
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