I just went through this exact same nightmare with DEO partial unemployment! Was working reduced hours at a medical office from February through April and the whole process was absolutely chaotic. Here's what finally worked for me after 7 weeks of getting nowhere: 1. Call and specifically ask if they've created a "backdate adjustment ticket" - most agents don't even know what this means, so ask for a supervisor immediately if they seem confused 2. Once they confirm the ticket exists, ask for the ticket number and estimated processing time. Write this down! 3. The backdated weeks won't appear in CONNECT until that ticket is fully processed (took 9 business days for mine) 4. That random $275 payment you got is definitely a "test payment" to verify your banking info works before they release the larger backpay amount The most important thing I learned: You MUST report your earnings as GROSS income (before taxes), not net. I made this mistake initially and it delayed everything by another 3 weeks while they "verified" my income with my employer. Also, keep calling every 3-4 days for status updates. I know it's exhausting but the squeaky wheel gets the grease with DEO. Once my backdated weeks finally appeared, I claimed them all in one day and got the full backpay within 2 weeks. Don't give up - you ARE entitled to that money if you qualify!

I'm going through something very similar right now and this thread has been a lifesaver! I've been on partial unemployment since late February (hours cut from 32 to 18 at my office job) and getting the runaround from DEO for weeks. Based on everyone's advice here, I called this morning at 8 AM sharp and specifically asked about my "backdate adjustment ticket status" - turns out they never created one despite three different agents telling me my backpay was "processing." The supervisor I spoke with finally created the ticket and gave me reference number DEO-2025-BD-847392. She said to expect the backdated weeks to appear in CONNECT within 7-10 business days. Also learned I've been reporting NET income instead of GROSS this whole time, which probably flagged my claim for manual review. Going to recalculate everything using gross pay amounts and be ready with exact figures when those backdated weeks show up. The Claimyr service someone mentioned actually worked - got through to a knowledgeable agent in 22 minutes instead of spending hours on hold. Definitely worth the small fee to avoid the phone tree nightmare. Keep pushing everyone - we're all entitled to these benefits if we qualify! Document everything and don't take "it's processing" as an answer without specific details.

Quick update: I tried the incognito browser trick and it didn't work initially, but I kept trying through the night and FINALLY got in around 3:30am! Was able to claim my weeks and everything is processed now. System was actually working fast at that hour with no waiting room. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions! For anyone else dealing with this - try super early morning hours and just keep trying!

Just wanted to add my experience - I was also stuck in that waiting room nightmare yesterday! What finally worked for me was using a VPN to change my location. I switched to a Miami server and got through in about 20 minutes instead of hours. Seems like they might be routing traffic differently based on geographic location. Also, for anyone still struggling, I noticed the mobile app actually worked better than the website around 6am this morning. The app seemed to bypass the waiting room entirely. Worth downloading if you haven't already. Hope this helps someone avoid the frustration we all went through!

Just wanted to add one more tip that saved me a lot of headaches - keep a simple spreadsheet tracking each week with columns for: week ending date, work performed, amount earned, date payment received, and whether you claimed benefits that week. When I started doing this, it made reporting so much clearer and gave me documentation if DEO ever questioned anything. Also, screenshot your CONNECT submissions each week showing exactly what you reported - the system sometimes glitches and doesn't save properly. I learned this the hard way when they said I didn't report income for a week that I definitely did report. Having those screenshots saved me from a potential overpayment situation.

I'm dealing with a similar situation as a freelance graphic designer. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple calendar where I mark down exactly what work I did each day and for which client. This way when I'm filling out my weekly claim, I can easily see what income belongs to which week. Also, I set up a separate savings account just for taxes - every time I get paid (either from clients or unemployment), I immediately transfer 30% to that account. It's been a lifesaver because like others mentioned, you'll owe taxes on both sources of income. The key thing I learned is that DEO really does want you to succeed in finding consistent work, so as long as you're honest about your earnings and keep claiming while you're still underemployed, they'll work with the fluctuating income. Just don't skip weeks thinking "oh I made too much this week" - claim every week and let their system calculate what you're owed!

Have you tried reaching out to them on social media? Sometimes companies respond faster there. Worth a shot!

I went through this exact same nightmare a few months ago! What finally worked for me was going through the identity verification process again from scratch. Here's what I did: 1) Clear your browser cache and cookies completely 2) Go to ID.ME and start a fresh account verification (don't try to log into your existing account) 3) Use your new phone number during the verification 4) They'll ask you to upload documents again - just do it 5) Once verified with your new number, contact support to merge/transfer your old account data. It's a pain but it worked for me after being locked out for 3 weeks. The whole process took about a week but at least I got back in! Good luck! 🙏

One more thing to consider: if you think you might continue getting 1099 work, remember that unemployment benefits don't have taxes withheld unless you request it, but you'll owe self-employment taxes (15.3%) plus income tax on your 1099 earnings. Setting aside about 25-30% of your 1099 income for taxes is a good idea to avoid surprises at tax time.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who's been navigating this for months - the key is being proactive and transparent with DEO. I've done several small 1099 projects while on unemployment and here's what I've learned: Always report the income for the week you actually performed the work, keep detailed records of your hours and earnings, and don't panic if you go over your weekly benefit amount for one week. Your claim doesn't get terminated, you just don't receive benefits for that specific week. The system is designed to encourage people to take work opportunities when they come up. The worst thing you can do is not report it and hope they don't find out - they always do eventually through IRS matching. Stay honest and you'll be fine!