Where is there an unemployment office near me in NY - need to file in person
I've been trying to file my unemployment claim online for weeks but keep getting error messages on the my.ny.gov website. My neighbor said I might be able to go to a physical NYS Department of Labor office to get help filing in person. Does anyone know where the closest unemployment office is? I live in Rochester but willing to drive wherever I need to go. I lost my job at a manufacturing plant last month and really need to get this claim started. The website keeps saying there's an issue with my Social Security number verification even though I've entered it correctly dozens of times.
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Fidel Carson
Most NYS Department of Labor offices don't do walk-in claim filing anymore since COVID. They moved everything online through my.ny.gov. However, there are Career Centers that can help you with technical issues. The Rochester One-Stop Career Center on Chestnut Street might be able to help you troubleshoot the website problems. You could also try calling the UI helpline at 1-888-209-8124, though expect long wait times.
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Ana Rusula
•I've tried calling that number probably 50 times and either get busy signal or get disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. Will definitely try the Career Center though, thanks!
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Isaiah Sanders
Had the exact same Social Security verification error last year! Turns out you have to clear your browser cache completely and then use Internet Explorer or Edge browser specifically. Chrome and Firefox were giving me problems. Also make sure you're entering your SSN with no dashes or spaces, just the 9 digits. If that still doesn't work, the verification issue might be on their end and you'll need to speak to someone.
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Ana Rusula
•Oh wow I've been using Chrome this whole time and definitely had dashes in my SSN. Let me try that right now!
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Xan Dae
I was having a nightmare trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor by phone until someone told me about this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They basically call for you and get you connected to an actual agent. I was skeptical at first but watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI) and decided to try it. Got through to someone within 2 hours when I'd been trying for weeks on my own. Might be worth checking out if the browser fix doesn't work.
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Fiona Gallagher
•Wait they charge you to make a phone call? That seems sketchy.
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Xan Dae
•It's not sketchy - you're paying for their time to wait on hold for you instead of you having to sit by the phone all day. Worth it when you need to get your claim sorted out and can't get through otherwise.
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Thais Soares
ugh the whole system is so broken!!! i've been trying to certify my weekly claims and the website crashes every time. why can't they just let us go to an office like normal people instead of forcing everyone online??
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Nalani Liu
•totally agree, spent 3 hours yesterday just trying to log in
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Demi Hall
Have you tried accessing the my.ny.gov site during off-peak hours? I found that early morning (like 6-7 AM) or late evening after 9 PM tends to work better when fewer people are using the system. The servers seem to get overloaded during regular business hours. Also, if you're still having the SSN verification issue after trying the browser suggestions, you might need to contact them about a potential identity verification problem - sometimes there's a mismatch between what's in their system and your actual records that only a human can fix.
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Pedro Sawyer
•That's really helpful advice about the off-peak hours! I never thought about the servers getting overloaded during business hours. I'll definitely try logging in early tomorrow morning. The identity verification mismatch issue you mentioned makes sense too - I moved addresses recently and wonder if that could be causing problems. Do you happen to know if there's a specific department or phone extension for identity verification issues, or would I still need to go through the main helpline?
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Olivia Van-Cleve
@Ana Rusula - I had similar issues with the my.ny.gov site last year! In addition to the browser tips mentioned above, I'd also suggest trying to file your claim on a weekday between 6-8 AM when server traffic is lowest. If you're still having problems after trying different browsers and the SSN format fix, there's also a local American Job Center in Rochester at 200 Midtown Plaza that sometimes helps people troubleshoot online filing issues. They can't file claims directly for you anymore, but the staff there are pretty knowledgeable about common website problems. Also, make sure your popup blockers are disabled - that was blocking some verification screens for me. Hope this helps and you get it sorted out soon!
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