I see you're getting great advice from everyone here! Just wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - if you do end up needing to call DEO to reopen those weeks, have a pen and paper ready when you finally get through to an agent. They'll often give you reference numbers or specific instructions that you'll need to follow up on later. I made the mistake of not writing down important details during my call and had to call back (which meant waiting in phone queue hell all over again). Also, if the agent tells you they're reopening your weeks, ask them approximately when you should see them become available in CONNECT - sometimes there's a delay of a day or two. The fact that you kept track of your work searches puts you ahead of a lot of people who run into trouble later. Fingers crossed you can get everything sorted out smoothly!

Hey Zainab! I just went through something similar a couple months ago and wanted to share what worked for me. First off, yeah the $600 thing has been gone for years - that was the FPUC during COVID. Florida's current max is around $275/week depending on your wages. For your July weeks, you should still be okay if you file soon! I was able to claim weeks that were about 12 days past their end date without having to call DEO. The system will either show them as "Not Requested" (good) or "Disqualified" (need to call). One thing that really helped me was using the CONNECT mobile app instead of the website when I kept getting errors. Sometimes it's more stable, especially if you're having browser issues. And definitely try that 7am login time everyone's mentioning - made a huge difference for me. Also, since you mentioned keeping track of work searches, make sure you have the employer contact info and dates ready. DEO wants pretty specific details for each of your 5 weekly contacts. I got audited last year and they wanted to see everything! Good luck getting it sorted out - this community has been a lifesaver for navigating all the DEO headaches!

hey guys i have a kinda related question - if I get a job but it doesn't start for 3 weeks do I still claim those weeks or does my claim end when I accept the offer even if I'm not getting paid yet??

Glad to hear your payment finally went through! This is actually pretty common - I've seen this happen to several people with their final payments. The DEO does seem to put extra scrutiny on the last payment, probably to make sure everything adds up correctly before they close out your claim. For anyone else reading this who might be in a similar situation, just keep checking your account daily and try not to panic if it takes a few extra days. The system usually works itself out, it's just nerve-wracking when you're depending on that money!

I'm going through this exact same frustrating situation right now! Been stuck in "pending adjudication" for 3 weeks with absolutely no explanation from DEO - it's like they just randomly select people to put in bureaucratic limbo. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly eye-opening. I had no idea that employers could contest legitimate layoffs or that there might be questionnaires sent to them that we're completely unaware of. That could totally explain what's happening since I was also laid off during company restructuring but apparently that documentation doesn't matter until you can get through to the right person. The 7:30am calling strategy sounds promising - I'm definitely going to try that tomorrow along with that specific phrasing about needing to speak with an adjudicator. The tip about checking with my former employer's HR about any DEO questionnaires is brilliant too - never would have thought of that angle. What's really frustrating is how this system treats all of us like we're trying to defraud them when we're just people who lost our jobs through no fault of our own. The lack of transparency about what the actual issue is makes the whole process 10x more stressful than it needs to be. Thanks everyone for sharing your strategies and experiences - this community support means everything when you're fighting this broken system alone. We shouldn't have to become unemployment detectives just to access benefits we earned!

I'm dealing with this exact same nightmare! Been stuck in "pending adjudication" for almost 5 weeks now with absolutely zero explanation from DEO. Like everyone else here, I've called dozens of times just to get disconnected or told "it's being reviewed" without any specifics about what the actual issue is. What's really helped me is reading through all these strategies people have shared. I finally got through last week using the 7:30am calling method and that specific phrasing about needing to speak with an adjudicator. Turns out my employer had disputed my separation reason even though I was clearly laid off! The adjudicator was able to see the specific issue and walked me through uploading additional documentation to resolve it. For anyone still stuck in this mess - definitely check with your former employer's HR department about any DEO questionnaires they might have received. In my case, they had gotten a fact-finding form weeks ago but never mentioned it to me. Once they responded to that, my claim started moving again. Also want to mention that I tried that Claimyr service someone recommended earlier in this thread and it actually worked - got connected to DEO in about an hour instead of spending days redialing myself. Sometimes it's worth paying a small fee to save your sanity when you're dealing with this broken system. Keep fighting everyone and don't give up! The system is designed to wear us down but we're entitled to these benefits. Document everything and keep claiming your weeks while you wait!

I'm dealing with this exact same nightmare right now! My account got locked yesterday with the "too many attempts" message even though I haven't logged in for over a week. It's absolutely ridiculous that DEO's system punishes us for NOT constantly checking our accounts - like we're supposed to be refreshing the page 24/7 or something? I've been reading through everyone's experiences here and it sounds like this is happening to tons of people because of some "security update" they did. I'm going to try the early morning calling strategy at 7:30 AM tomorrow since that seems to be when people have the most success getting through. Really appreciate everyone sharing their solutions - at least now I know there's hope of getting this resolved! Will definitely update once I (hopefully) get through to someone. This whole system is such a mess but glad we have this community to help each other navigate it.

This is such a widespread issue! I'm going through the exact same thing right now - got locked out two days ago after not logging in for about 10 days, and like everyone else here, I got that ridiculous "too many attempts" message when I literally haven't attempted to log in at all! It's beyond frustrating that DEO's system treats normal users like potential hackers just for not obsessively checking our accounts daily. I've been trying to call since yesterday with zero success - just endless busy signals and disconnects. Based on all the great advice in this thread, I'm definitely going to try the 7:30 AM strategy tomorrow morning and keep redialing until I get through. It's insane that we have to go through all this just to access our own benefits, but I'm grateful for this community sharing their experiences and solutions. Will update if I manage to get my account unlocked! Thanks everyone for making me feel less crazy about this whole mess.

Great to hear you got it resolved! For anyone else reading this thread, I'd recommend doing exactly what Sophia did - use multiple approaches since the DEO system can be unpredictable. The key is creating a paper trail through CONNECT, getting employer documentation, AND having a live agent add notes to your file. Don't rely on just one method. Also, keep claiming your weeks even if you're unsure about the status - it's much easier to sort things out while benefits are continuing than to try to get them restarted later.

As someone who just went through a similar situation last month, I can confirm that the multi-step approach really works. I had to extend my return date by 8 weeks due to a workplace injury, and I was terrified my benefits would get cut off. I did exactly what others have suggested here: filed the change request in CONNECT, got written documentation from HR, and then used a callback service to speak with a DEO representative. The whole process took about 10 days to fully process, but my benefits continued without interruption. One thing I'd add - when you do get through to an agent, ask them to read back the notes they're adding to your file so you know exactly what was recorded. This saved me when there was a small discrepancy later. Also, screenshot everything you submit online and keep copies of all employer correspondence. The peace of mind is worth the extra documentation effort!