Update: I tried the phone system this morning and it worked! Took about 15 minutes to go through all the questions, but my weeks are now claimed. Thanks everyone for your help! I've saved all these suggestions for future reference in case I have internet problems again.

That's awesome that you got it working! For anyone else reading this thread, I'd also recommend having your PIN written down somewhere safe before calling. I learned the hard way that if you enter it wrong too many times, they'll lock your account and then you have to wait to speak with an agent to unlock it. The phone system is definitely a lifesaver when the website is acting up though!

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!

I'm hearing this Claimyr service mentioned a couple times now... it sounds promising. At this point, we're willing to try anything because this situation is beyond ridiculous. I appreciate you sharing your experience with it!

I feel your pain - went through the exact same thing last year when my claim got stuck in adjudication for 2 months. After endless failed calls, I finally got through by using multiple strategies at once: 1) Called at exactly 7:29am on a Wednesday, 2) Had my state rep's office submit an inquiry the same day, and 3) went to my local CareerSource office to get more details about what was actually wrong. Turns out it was a simple employer wage verification issue that took 5 minutes to resolve once I actually reached someone. The combination approach worked - got a callback from DEO within 48 hours after the rep's office got involved. Don't give up! The system is broken but persistence pays off.

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!

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!