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?

For future reference, if you're having trouble with the website, sometimes checking your claim status through the mobile version works better. Go to connect.myflorida.com on your phone (not the app, just the website) and it sometimes bypasses whatever is causing the desktop version to crash.

This is exactly why I always try to access CONNECT either super early (around 5-6 AM) or late at night after 9 PM. The system gets completely overwhelmed during business hours when everyone is trying to check their claims at the same time. I've found that if you can adjust your schedule to avoid peak times, you'll have much better luck getting in and staying logged in. Also, keep a backup plan - I always have the DEO phone number saved just in case the website completely crashes when I need to handle something urgent.

One more thing about partial unemployment - DONT get tripped up on the question about WHY you're not working full hours. Make sure you select "Hours reduced by employer" and NOT "Not enough work available" or "Business slow." Those other options can trigger different review processes!! The exact wording matters SO MUCH with DEO applications.

I went through something similar (though not pregnant) when my retail job cut my hours from 35 to 8 per week last year. I was SO stressed about applying because I thought being "still employed" meant I couldn't get benefits. But I qualified for partial unemployment and it literally saved me financially! A few things that helped me: - I filed online through CONNECT on a Tuesday morning (seemed less busy than Mondays) - I kept every text/email from my manager about the schedule changes as proof - When they asked about work availability, I just focused on the fact that I was ready to work my normal hours if offered The process took about 3 weeks to get my first payment, but once it started, it was consistent. Don't let anyone scare you away from applying - if your hours were cut through no fault of your own, you have every right to file. The worst they can do is say no, but based on what you've described, you should absolutely qualify. Wishing you the best during this stressful time! Financial stress is the last thing you need while preparing for your baby.

UPDATE: My payment just hit my account about 10 minutes ago! Looks like it was just delayed by about 14 hours. Check your accounts everyone!

Same thing happened to me! My federal supplement didn't show up this morning either - was expecting $1500 like usual. I'm also on direct deposit and my state payment came through fine. Really glad to see Jasmine's update that hers just came through - gives me hope mine will show up soon too! I wish DEO would send out notifications when they know payments are going to be delayed. Having to find out through community posts like this is frustrating when we're all depending on these payments for basic expenses.

Update for everyone following this thread: I just checked the DEO website and they've added a FAQ about the $1200 supplement. Official cutoff date was July 15th, and all qualifying payments should be issued by August 10th. If you claimed weeks that included days before July 15th and don't see the supplement by August 10th, you need to contact them directly.

Just wanted to share my experience since I was in a similar situation last week. I was also claiming weeks that were 2 weeks behind and wasn't sure about the $1200 supplement. I claimed on July 23rd for weeks ending July 6th and July 13th, and I did receive the full $1200 supplement about 3 days after my regular unemployment payment hit my account. So if your claim on July 30th includes any weeks from before July 15th, you should definitely get at least a partial payment. The key thing is that it's based on the actual week dates you're claiming, not when you submit the claim. Hope this helps with your budgeting!