Hey OP, what state are you in? The process can vary a lot depending on where you are.

unpopular opinion: maybe try looking for a job instead of waiting for a handout? 🤷‍♂️

thanks for the update!! gonna try claimyr tomorrow cuz im still locked out. this is ridiculous we have to go through all this just to access our own accounts 🙄

Glad to hear you got it resolved @Zainab! This is exactly the kind of info we all need. I've been dealing with similar access issues for the past few days and was about to lose my mind. Going to try the Claimyr route since direct calling hasn't worked for me either. It's crazy that we have to jump through all these hoops just to access our own unemployment benefits, but at least there's a solution that actually works. Thanks for following up with what fixed it!

I'm going through almost the exact same nightmare right now! Been waiting 8 weeks for adjudication after my former employer (a small tech startup that laid off half their staff) completely ignored DEO's requests. The fact finding status keeps disappearing and reappearing on my dashboard too - one day it shows "completed" and the next day it's gone entirely. It's like the system is playing games with us. I haven't found new work yet but reading that you got a warehouse job gives me hope that there are opportunities out there. The most frustrating part is having all the proper documentation (layoff email, final paystub, unemployment verification letter from HR) but still being stuck because one party won't respond. I've been claiming weeks religiously even though no payments are coming through. At this point I'm considering the Claimyr service mentioned above since calling DEO directly seems impossible. This whole process makes an already stressful situation so much worse!

I'm dealing with something very similar - been waiting 6 weeks for adjudication after my former employer (a restaurant chain that closed our location) never responded to DEO either. The fact finding status has been doing that same disappearing act on my CONNECT dashboard. It's so frustrating because I have all my documentation uploaded but they still need to hear from an employer that literally doesn't exist anymore at that location. I just wanted to say congrats on landing the warehouse job! That has to be such a relief even while you're still fighting for those back benefits. I'm still job searching but seeing success stories like yours keeps me motivated. This whole thread has been really helpful - it's good to know this employer non-response issue is common and not just something wrong with my specific case. Definitely going to try some of the suggestions mentioned here if my status doesn't change soon!

I'm dealing with the same issue! This is actually my first time experiencing a CONNECT outage since I just started filing claims two weeks ago. I've been trying to log in since about 7:45am and keep getting that "Service Unavailable" error. I was getting really worried that something was wrong with my account or that I'd missed some important step in the process. It's both frustrating and relieving to see that this is affecting everyone - at least I know it's not something I did wrong! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so helpful. I had no idea these outages were this common or that there were strategies like taking screenshots and trying different browsers. Definitely going to start doing that going forward. I tried calling the phone line but couldn't get through after an hour of waiting. Going to keep checking back throughout the day and hope it comes back up soon. Thanks everyone for sharing your tips - this community seems like such a valuable resource for navigating all the quirks of the Florida unemployment system!

Having the same issue here! I've been trying to get into CONNECT since around 8am and keep hitting that "Service Unavailable" wall. This is only my third week filing claims so I wasn't sure if this was a "me" problem or a system problem - really glad I found this thread! I was starting to get that sinking feeling that maybe I'd somehow messed up my account setup or missed some crucial step. The advice about taking screenshots is gold - wish I'd thought of that earlier. Also going to try that Microsoft Edge tip since Chrome has been giving me nothing but grief. It's frustrating that we have to become IT experts just to file for benefits, but I'm grateful for everyone sharing their workarounds and experiences. Makes me feel less alone in figuring out this whole system! Hopefully it's back up soon for all of us - fingers crossed! 🤞

Jumping in as someone who's been through the DEO process multiple times over the past few years - the timing really is all over the place! I've found that direct deposit typically takes 2-3 business days after claiming, but I've seen it as fast as next day and as slow as a full week depending on when you claim and how busy their system is. One thing that helped me was setting up text alerts through CONNECT so I get notifications when payments are processed. Also, since you mentioned budgeting carefully until you start work - just a heads up that your first week back at work might affect your final unemployment payment if there's any overlap in the benefit week dates. DEO can be really picky about reporting exact work start dates. The screenshot advice everyone's giving is spot on too - I learned that lesson the hard way when they "lost" one of my work search logs and I had to appeal. Now I screenshot literally everything including confirmation numbers and timestamps. Hope your payment comes through smoothly on Friday!

Just want to add my experience for anyone still reading this thread - I've been on DEO unemployment since March and the payment timing has gotten much more consistent over the past couple months. It was chaos in the beginning (took 8 weeks to get my first payment!), but now it's pretty reliably 2-3 business days with direct deposit. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that DEO sometimes holds payments if there are any "data validation" issues, which can happen randomly even if you've been getting payments fine. I had this happen once when their system flagged my address for some reason, and it delayed my payment by almost a week. The only way I found out was by calling (after 47 attempts to get through!). Also totally agree with everyone about taking screenshots - I now have a whole folder on my phone just for DEO documentation. It's sad that we have to protect ourselves like this, but better safe than sorry with this system! Hope everyone gets their payments on time and Congress figures out something to replace that $600 boost soon.