This might sound weird, but have you tried reaching out on Twitter? Sometimes public callouts get their attention.

I'm so sorry you're going through this! 4 months is absolutely ridiculous. I went through something similar last year and what helped me was creating a detailed log of every interaction - dates, times, who I spoke with, reference numbers, etc. Also, if you haven't already, try filing a complaint with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity's ombudsman office. They're supposed to help resolve these kinds of issues. Sometimes having an official complaint on file can help push things along. Don't give up - you deserve to get your benefits!

UPDATE: I finally got through! For anyone with the same problem - I used the 7:29am trick mentioned above AND called on Tuesday instead of Monday (which seems less busy). Was on hold for 45 minutes but finally spoke to someone who reset my two-factor authentication and connected it to my new phone number. All fixed now and I was able to claim my weeks that were pending! Thanks everyone for your help!

Congratulations on getting through! This is really helpful for others dealing with the same issue. I'm curious - when you called at 7:29am, did you get the usual "high call volume" message or did it actually put you in a queue? I'm planning to try this method myself next week for a different account issue and want to know what to expect. Also, do you remember roughly how long the actual account reset process took once you had the agent on the line?

did u get ur payment yet? i had somethin similar happen last month

This is exactly why I always tell people to document everything when dealing with DEO! Screenshots of your CONNECT account showing "processed" status, records of when you called, what agents told you - everything. The system is so unreliable that having proof of what happened can be crucial if you need to escalate later. I'm glad you got it resolved quickly once you reached an agent, but it's ridiculous that invisible holds like this are even possible. DEO really needs to fix their transparency issues - people shouldn't have to guess what's wrong with their claims when they're depending on these payments to survive.

@OP - just checking back. Were you able to get this resolved? I'm curious if it was the same issue I had with the remaining balance being less than the weekly amount.

Glad to hear you got it resolved! This is such a common issue that more people need to know about. The fact that the system won't let you claim a partial final week when your balance is less than your full weekly amount is really frustrating - especially since you're entitled to that money. Thanks for sharing the solution about Claimyr too. I've been struggling with DEO phone lines for other issues and might give that service a try. It's crazy that we have to use third-party services just to reach our own state unemployment office, but if it works, it works!

Just a heads-up for everyone: I've been claiming benefits for several months now, and in my experience, the CONNECT system does occasionally have maintenance or slowdowns around holidays. Even though there's no official extension, I would recommend completing your work search reports at least 48 hours before your deadline if it falls on July 4th. This gives you buffer time in case of any technical issues. Also, take screenshots of your submission confirmation page as proof just in case questions come up later. Better to be prepared than have to deal with appeals!

I'm new to the unemployment system and this is really helpful information. I have a July 4th deadline too and was panicking about the holiday timing. Based on what everyone's saying, it sounds like I need to get my work search activities submitted by July 3rd at the latest. Quick question though - when you submit early, does it still count for the correct claim week? I don't want to accidentally mess up my reporting period by submitting too early. Also, does anyone know if the CONNECT system sends confirmation emails when you successfully submit?