Harold, I completely understand your frustration! I went through a similar CONNECT lockout situation about 6 months ago and it was one of the most stressful experiences I've had. Three weeks is brutal - you must have been going crazy not being able to access your account. Everyone here has given you great info about the $600 supplement being long gone (pandemic-only benefit that ended in 2021). It's such a bummer because that extra money really made a difference back then, but now we're stuck with just the regular Florida amounts which are honestly pathetic. Since you're getting $306/week, I wanted to suggest looking into SNAP benefits if you haven't already - the income limits are pretty generous when you're on unemployment, and it can really help stretch your grocery budget. Also, if you have any utility bills piling up, most power companies in Florida have hardship programs for people on unemployment. For the work search requirements, don't sleep on attending virtual career fairs - they usually count as 2-3 contacts each since you can talk to multiple employers. Florida Works (employflorida.com) posts them regularly. Hope you find something soon and can get off this roller coaster! The system definitely isn't designed to actually help people, but at least you got back into CONNECT finally.

Harold, I'm so sorry you went through that 3-week CONNECT lockout nightmare! That sounds absolutely terrible and I can only imagine how stressful it must have been not being able to access your benefits while bills keep coming. Everyone here has already given you the hard truth about the $600 supplement - that was only during the pandemic (FPUC) and ended back in September 2021. I know it's disappointing to realize you'll only be getting your regular Florida amount of $306/week. The system really is broken when that's supposed to help people survive. Since you mentioned being stressed about the whole process, I wanted to share something that helped me when I was on unemployment last year - try to set up a routine around your weekly claiming and work search activities. I found that doing everything on the same day each week (like Sunday mornings) helped reduce my anxiety about forgetting deadlines or missing requirements. Also, make sure you save screenshots of EVERYTHING in CONNECT - your weekly certifications, work search logs, payment history, etc. The system glitches constantly and having your own records can save you major headaches if something goes wrong again. Hang in there! The job market is actually pretty decent right now, so hopefully you'll find something soon and won't have to deal with this broken system much longer.

Welcome to the community @NeonNomad! Your 3-month wait is unfortunately very common right now. I'd definitely recommend trying both strategies that worked for Leo - the Claimyr service seems to be the fastest way to actually reach someone who can help, and your state rep can provide additional pressure from a different angle. When you do get through, make sure to ask specifically what's flagging your claim in their system. Sometimes it's something ridiculously minor like Leo's 2-day date discrepancy that could be fixed in minutes once someone actually looks at it. The key is getting past the automated system to a real person who can see your account details. Document everything and don't give up - your persistence will pay off eventually!

Welcome to everyone who's new to this thread! It's great to see people sharing their experiences and helping each other navigate this frustrating system. For anyone just joining - I want to emphasize that while these delays are unfortunately common, they ARE fixable once you get the right person to look at your case. The combination approach seems most effective: 1) Use services like Claimyr to actually reach a DEO agent who can transfer you to adjudication, 2) Contact your state representative for additional advocacy, and 3) Document absolutely everything. Leo's success story shows that even after months of delays, resolution can happen quickly once someone reviews your file. Don't lose hope - the system is broken but your benefits are still there waiting for you. Keep fighting and supporting each other!

I've been following this thread and wanted to share something that might help others in similar situations. While there aren't any new federal UI extensions right now, I recently discovered that some local community colleges offer emergency financial assistance grants for students enrolled in workforce development programs. If you're considering retraining or getting certified in a new field while job searching, these grants can sometimes cover living expenses during the program. I'm starting a medical assistant certification program next month and got $1,200 in emergency aid that doesn't have to be repaid. It's not unemployment benefits, but it's something to bridge the gap while building new skills. Worth checking with your local colleges - many people don't know these emergency funds exist.

I've been following unemployment discussions across multiple states and wanted to add some perspective on the federal benefits question. The confusion might be coming from recent Congressional hearings about modernizing the unemployment system nationwide, but nothing has been passed into law yet. There are several proposals floating around - some for extending benefit duration, others for increasing federal funding to states - but they're all still in committee stages. Florida's system is particularly restrictive compared to most states, so even if something passes federally, implementation here could take months or even years given how slowly DEO moves on system changes. For now, your best bet is exactly what others have suggested: CareerSource, local assistance programs, and possibly exploring training opportunities that come with financial support. The reality is that Florida's 12-week limit leaves a lot of people in your exact situation, which is why these alternative resources become so important.

I've been through this exact situation multiple times! The weekend delay is super common with Florida DEO payments. When you claim on Thursday, the system processes it right away (that's why you see "processed" status), but the actual money transfer has to go through the ACH banking system which doesn't operate on weekends or holidays. Since you claimed Thursday, you should see your deposit by Tuesday at the latest. I always try to claim on Mondays now to avoid that weekend gap - it means I usually get paid by Thursday or Friday instead of waiting through the weekend. One tip: if you ever don't see your payment by Wednesday after claiming, that's when you might want to call DEO to check if there's any issues. But based on your update, looks like everything worked out normally! The banking system delays are frustrating but predictable once you know the pattern.

This thread is so helpful! I'm currently in my second month of unemployment and have been doing the same thing - claiming on Thursdays and then stressing all weekend about when the money will hit. It's such a relief to know this is completely normal and just how the banking system works. I had no idea that claiming earlier in the week would help avoid the weekend delay. Definitely switching to Monday claims from now on! Also really appreciate everyone mentioning the holiday delays - I would have totally panicked if my payment was late during Memorial Day weekend without knowing that was expected. The anxiety around waiting for unemployment payments is real when you're living paycheck to paycheck, so having this community to explain how the system actually works makes such a difference. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

This thread is so helpful! I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now - completed ID.me verification 5 days ago and my CONNECT account is still locked. I've been panicking about missing my claim weeks but reading that you can still claim them once unlocked is such a relief. I'm going to try the email approach first thing tomorrow morning. Question for those who've been through this - when you finally got back in, did your payment schedule go back to normal or were there any delays with the actual payments hitting your account?

This is such a frustrating but unfortunately common issue right now. I went through something similar back in January - ID.me completed but CONNECT stayed locked for almost 2 weeks. What worked for me was a combination of the email approach (which Daniel outlined perfectly) AND calling right at 7:30am sharp. I know the phone method is hit or miss, but I found that Mondays and Tuesdays at opening time had slightly better connection rates than other days. Also, make sure you're clearing your browser cache before trying to log into CONNECT - sometimes the old session data can make it look like you're still locked even after they've unlocked it on their end. The whole system is definitely broken and needs a complete overhaul, but don't give up. You WILL get through this and you won't lose those benefit weeks once you're back in!