Thank you all for the advice! I logged into CONNECT and found the fact-finding questionnaire about 2020 employment verification. I'm gathering all the documents I can find - my mother's death certificate, hospice paperwork, some emails about job applications, and I'm writing a detailed statement explaining everything. I'll also check out Claimyr to try reaching an agent directly. I'm still really worried, but at least I have a plan now. I'll update once I hear back from DEO after submitting everything.

I'm dealing with a similar audit situation right now, though mine is for 2021 PUA benefits. What helped me was creating a detailed timeline document that included not just employment gaps but WHY those gaps existed - in your case, the caregiving responsibilities and your mother's declining health. Since you mentioned you were 67 when this happened, you might also want to include information about your age and how that affected your job search prospects, especially during COVID when many employers were hesitant to hire older workers. The combination of caregiving duties, your age, and the pandemic created legitimate barriers to employment that DEO should understand. Also, don't feel bad about not knowing the difference between regular unemployment and PUA - most people had no idea there were different programs with different rules. The important thing is that you were honest about your situation when you applied. Document everything you submit with dates and keep copies. The system is overwhelming but you're taking the right steps by responding promptly to their requests.

update us when u fix it ok?? im in similar situation (4 months pending) and wanna know what finally works!

I'm so sorry you're going through this nightmare. 8 months is absolutely unacceptable! I just went through something similar (6 months pending) and finally got resolution last month. Here's what worked for me: 1. I emailed my state representative's office with a detailed timeline of my case - they have a DEO liaison who can actually get answers 2. Filed a complaint with the DEO Inspector General (as someone mentioned above) - this seemed to trigger actual movement on my case 3. Called the legislative hotline at 850-487-1052 - it's a different number than the regular DEO line and I had better luck getting through The key is hitting them from multiple angles at once. Don't rely on just one method. My claim was stuck because of an "employer separation verification" issue that literally took one 10-minute phone call to resolve once I finally reached the right person. Also, document EVERYTHING - dates you called, emails sent, responses received. You'll need this timeline when you finally get through to someone. Hang in there - you WILL get your money, but you have to be relentless about pursuing it through these alternate channels.

So glad you got your payment! I've been dealing with the same issue this week and your thread really helped calm my nerves. Filed Monday, still waiting but after reading everyone's experiences I'm feeling more confident it'll come through soon. The DEO really needs to improve their communication about these holiday delays - would save everyone so much stress and phone wait time if they just posted notices about expected processing delays!

This is exactly why I always try to budget for an extra week cushion around any federal holiday! The DEO system seems to get completely backed up every time there's a long weekend. I learned this the hard way last year during Labor Day when my payment was delayed 6 days. Now I just assume any holiday will add 3-5 days to processing time. It's frustrating that they don't communicate this better, but at least threads like this help us all know what to expect. For anyone new to the system - definitely plan your finances around these predictable delays!

dont 4get to check ur CONNECT inbox!!! somtimes they send messages there but dont email u about them!!! missed a fact finding deadline bc i didnt know they messaged me there n had to start my whole claim over

I've been dealing with the same nightmare for 9 weeks now! Filed in January, did everything by the book - ID.me verification, weekly claims, work searches documented perfectly, uploaded every document they asked for. Still stuck in "pending" status with zero communication about what's wrong. The most frustrating part is the complete lack of transparency. At least if they told us "your claim will take 12 weeks to process" we could plan accordingly. Instead we're left guessing whether we did something wrong or if it's just their broken system. I'm going to try the state representative route that others mentioned - seems like that's had the most success. Has anyone had luck with contacting the governor's office directly? I'm willing to try anything at this point. Living on credit cards and the kindness of family is not sustainable much longer. Florida really needs to overhaul this entire system. Other states manage to process claims in 2-3 weeks, there's no excuse for this level of dysfunction.

Great news! Thanks for updating. For future reference (or for others reading this thread), this issue typically happens because of one of three things: 1. The ID.me verification happened under a slightly different name than what's in CONNECT (even a middle initial can cause problems) 2. There was a device or browser compatibility issue during verification 3. The automatic sync between systems failed due to high volume The DEO is supposedly implementing a fix for this in their next system update in July 2025, but for now, manual intervention is unfortunately required in about 30% of ID.me verifications.

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?