This thread is absolutely incredible - thank you everyone for sharing such detailed strategies! I've been lurking here while dealing with my own adjudication nightmare (week 5 now for a workplace injury separation issue) and finally feel like I have a real action plan. I'm going to combine the best tips from everyone: - Tuesday 7:30am call with *67 caller ID blocking - Use the 5-7-2 extension sequence to get into a different queue - Have all documents ready with proper naming format (CLAIMANTID_SEPARATION_DATE) - Ask specifically for Tier 2 support and request case notes - Email ra-deoCustomerService@deo.myflorida.com with urgent subject line - Contact my local CareerSource office for additional help What's really striking is how much institutional knowledge we've built up here just by sharing our experiences. It's frustrating that we have to become experts in gaming a broken system, but at least we're helping each other survive it. @Lucy Taylor your success story gives me so much hope! The fact that your issue was just documents sitting in the wrong department shows how many cases are probably just stuck due to administrative errors rather than actual eligibility problems. Will definitely report back with results - this community deserves to know what's working so we can keep helping people get through this mess!

I've been watching this thread develop and it's honestly the most helpful resource I've found anywhere for dealing with DEO adjudication issues! As someone who just hit week 6 of waiting, I wanted to add a couple things that worked for me this week: **Email strategy that got results:** I sent emails to BOTH ra-deoCustomerService@deo.myflorida.com AND my local state senator's office on the same day. Put "URGENT: 6-Week Adjudication Delay - Constituent Needs Help" in the subject line for the senator's office. Within 24 hours, someone from the senator's office called DEO directly and I got a call back from an adjudication supervisor the next day. **Phone timing update:** I tried the Tuesday 7:30am strategy everyone's been mentioning, but also discovered that Thursday around 4:30pm has been working lately - I think it's shift change time and there's less call volume right before they close. **CONNECT tip:** If you're having trouble with the site, try using an incognito/private browser window. I was having constant login issues until I tried this, and now everything loads properly. The combination of legislative pressure + persistent calling seems to be the magic formula. Don't give up - I finally got movement on my case after trying multiple strategies from this thread. This community knowledge is gold! @Fatima Al-Qasimi - really hope you've gotten some resolution by now with all these amazing tips everyone shared!

This is becoming such a widespread problem! I work in HR and we've had three employees this year come to us with the same issue. One thing I'd add to all the great advice here - make sure your son keeps detailed records of EVERYTHING including dates/times of all phone calls, reference numbers from DEO, and copies of all correspondence. When our employees went through this, DEO required extensive documentation to prove they never filed. Also, some employers are now proactively monitoring for unemployment claims filed against their active employees, so don't be surprised if his HR department reaches out - it's actually a good sign that they're being vigilant about protecting their workers from this type of fraud.

I'm so sorry this happened to your son! This exact same thing happened to my neighbor a few months ago. One thing that really helped speed up the process was having her contact the Florida Attorney General's office in addition to DEO. They have an identity theft unit that works directly with DEO on these cases. You can file a complaint online at myfloridalegal.com under "Consumer Protection." They actually followed up with her case and helped get it resolved faster than just going through DEO alone. Also, make sure your son checks his Social Security earnings record online - sometimes these fraudulent claims show up there too and need to be disputed separately. The whole situation is incredibly stressful but you're doing all the right things by reporting it immediately!

Just wanted to add my voice to this thread - I've been stuck since February and it's been absolutely brutal. The stress of not knowing when (or if) payments will come through is taking a real toll. I tried the Claimyr service mentioned here and while it did get me through to someone after about a week of trying, the agent basically told me my case was "under review" with no timeline. At least I have documentation of that conversation now though. I'm going to try the Inspector General complaint route next - thank you @Ethan Wilson and @Fatima Al-Suwaidi for sharing that option! It's sad that we have to become our own advocates to this extent, but this community has given me so many strategies I never would have thought of. Hang in there everyone - we'll get through this mess eventually! 🙏

I'm in the same boat as everyone here - filed in June and still nothing! Reading through all these comments has been both validating and overwhelming. It's incredible how we've all had to become unemployment experts just to navigate this broken system. I'm definitely going to try the Inspector General complaint that @Ethan Wilson mentioned, along with contacting my state rep and doing that early morning calling strategy. The fact that we have to pay services like Claimyr just to talk to someone is absolutely insane, but I might try that too if nothing else works. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and strategies - it helps knowing I'm not going crazy and that persistence really can pay off. This community support is honestly keeping me sane while dealing with this nightmare! 🙏

Congrats on getting it sorted out! Just a heads up for anyone else reading this - make sure to keep screenshots or save confirmation numbers if the system gives you any. I had my documents show as "received" but then got another notice weeks later saying they were missing. Having those screenshots saved me from having to re-upload everything. The DEO system can be glitchy so always document your submissions!

I went through this exact same nightmare a few months ago! The key thing that saved me was realizing there are actually THREE different places you might need to upload documents depending on what DEO is asking for: 1) ID.me verification (which it sounds like you got sorted), 2) the regular document upload in your CONNECT inbox under "Correspondence", and 3) sometimes there's a separate link they email you for specific verifications. If you're still getting requests after completing ID.me, check your email for any direct links from DEO - sometimes they send a separate secure upload portal that bypasses CONNECT entirely. I missed one of these emails and it went to my spam folder! Also, when you do upload, the system is super slow to update - mine took almost 48 hours to show "received" even though it went through immediately. Don't panic if you don't see confirmation right away, just keep that screenshot like others mentioned!

This thread is incredible - Maya, I'm so relieved you finally got your application through! As a newcomer to this community, I'm both impressed by everyone's willingness to help and absolutely appalled by what you had to go through just to file for unemployment. The fact that it required multiple browsers, a 3am attempt, a paid service, AND manual intervention from an agent to submit ONE application shows how deliberately obstructive the CONNECT system is. I've been putting off filing my own claim because I've heard horror stories, but seeing all the specific troubleshooting steps everyone shared here (especially the browser switching, SSN formatting, and Claimyr service) gives me a roadmap to follow. This community is amazing - you all turned what should be a simple government process into a collaborative survival guide. Maya, thank you for updating us with your success story. It proves that persistence pays off even when the system seems designed to defeat you. I'm definitely saving this entire thread as my DEO battle plan!

As someone who's been following this thread from the beginning, I'm absolutely thrilled that Maya finally got her application through! This entire conversation should be required reading for anyone dealing with the DEO's CONNECT system. What strikes me most is how this community turned an individual's frustrating experience into a comprehensive resource that will help countless others. Maya, your determination to keep trying despite all the roadblocks and then taking the time to update everyone with your solution is exactly what makes this community so valuable. The combination of everyone's tips - from browser switching to the 3am strategy to the Claimyr service - shows that sometimes it really does take a village to navigate broken government systems. I'm bookmarking this thread as the ultimate DEO survival guide. Your success story gives hope to everyone else struggling with technical errors and proves that persistence plus community support can overcome even the most obstructive bureaucratic systems!