Emails to employers can count as work search activities, but you need documentation. Each work search contact should include: 1. Date of contact 2. Method of contact (email, online application, in-person, etc.) 3. Company name, address, and phone number 4. Name of person contacted (if possible) 5. Type of work sought 6. Result of contact CareerSource workshops and job fairs also count toward your work search requirements. I recommend mixing different types of activities rather than just doing emails. And save everything - screenshots of applications, copies of emails, etc. DEO can request proof up to a year later.

Congratulations on getting through the system! Your success story gives me hope. I've been dealing with the same exact issues for the past week - constant freezing and logouts. I'm going to try your approach tomorrow morning at 5:30 AM with Chrome incognito mode. Quick question - when you say don't use autofill, does that include the browser asking to save passwords, or just the form completion stuff? I want to make sure I do this right on my first early morning attempt since getting up that early is going to be rough for me!

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? 🤷‍♂️

UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know that my CONNECT account finally updated today (10/16). Status changed from "disqualified" to "eligible" for all my back weeks! Still no payment yet, but at least I can see progress happening. Will update again when the money actually comes through. Thanks everyone for your help!

That's awesome that your status updated! You're definitely getting close now. In my experience, once CONNECT shows "eligible" the payment usually hits within 3-5 business days. Keep an eye on your bank account over the next few days. And don't worry if it seems like a lot of money all at once - that's normal when they pay all the back weeks together. Congrats on sticking with the appeal process, it's such a relief when it finally works out!

My sister went through this exact situation! She worked at a school and had summer break but was contracted to return in fall. She had to do work searches even with a guaranteed return date because her return date was more than 8 weeks away. DEO is really strict about that timeframe.

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else in this situation - I was furloughed from my retail management job last year with a guaranteed return date 6 weeks out. I successfully got the work search exemption approved, but here's what I learned: make sure your employer's letter includes not just the return date but also confirms you're expected to return to the SAME position with the SAME hours/salary. DEO rejected my first request because the letter didn't specify I was returning to my exact same role. Once I got that clarification added, it was approved within a week. Also, keep checking your CONNECT dashboard daily - the approval notification is easy to miss and you want to know right away so you can stop doing work searches if you've been doing them as a backup plan.

i had my claim stuck in adjudication for 5 weeks with those same flags. turns out they needed additional proof that i was let go and not fired for cause. had to get a letter from my former boss. call them and ask specifically what theyre waiting for, dont just wait!!

I'm in a similar situation - been waiting 3 weeks on adjudication with "employment status" flags. Reading through these comments has been really helpful, especially learning about the 2024 ID.me settlement (which explains what my coworker was probably talking about). For anyone else dealing with adjudication delays, it sounds like the key takeaway is to call and ask specifically what additional documentation they need rather than just waiting. The system clearly doesn't communicate well about what's actually holding up our claims. @Diego, definitely try calling tomorrow like others suggested. Even if you use a service like Claimyr or call directly, the important thing is getting a human to look at your specific case and tell you exactly what they're waiting for.