Found DEO extensions for bills while waiting for adjudication - share your tips!

THIS IS GOLD!!! thank u for sharing!!! I'm on week 12 of waiting for CONNECT to finish 'processing' my claim and literally eating ramen noodles to survive. Called Duke Energy after seeing this and got a $60 credit + payment plan!! They have a special code they put on accounts for ppl unemployed. ALSO - if ur getting SNAP benefits right now, show Assurance Wireless ur approval letter and they give u free phone service during 'economic hardship'... saved me $75/month!!

While these tips are helpful, they're just band-aids on a bigger problem. The real issue is DEO's broken adjudication process. I waited 14 weeks last year before getting a determination, and only because I contacted my state representative. If you're stuck in adjudication, email your district rep with your claimant ID and last 4 of SSN. They have special liaisons at DEO who can escalate cases. Don't just wait for the system - it's designed to frustrate people into giving up.

One resource that saved me when I was waiting on adjudication was 211. It's a free helpline that connects you to all kinds of assistance programs in your county. I called when I was 8 weeks into waiting for DEO and they hooked me up with an emergency rent assistance program through Catholic Charities that covered 2 months of rent. They also told me about a local food bank that doesn't require any paperwork. Worth checking out if you're really struggling!

If you really need to talk to someone at DEO about your adjudication status, I recently used a service called Claimyr that actually got me through to a live agent after trying for weeks. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj showing how it works. Basically they keep calling for you until they get through, then connect you. I was skeptical but desperate after 11 weeks in adjudication, and the agent I spoke with was able to see that my employer hadn't responded to the fact-finding questions, which was holding everything up. They pushed it through to a supervisor and I got my determination 3 days later.

i called t-mobile yesterday and got 30% off my bill for 6 months just by saying i was waiting on unemployment!! didn't even need to provide proof! also check if ur car insurance has a low-mileage discount since ur not commuting to work anymore. saved me like $17/month with geico

While these bill reduction strategies are helpful in the short term, I'd strongly recommend filing an appeal if your adjudication has been pending for more than 6 weeks. Under Florida statute 443.151, DEO must make a determination within a "reasonable time." Courts have generally held that anything beyond 6-8 weeks is unreasonable. You can submit a formal appeal through CONNECT by navigating to the "Determination, Pending Issues and Decision Summary" section and clicking on the determination that's pending. This often triggers an internal review that can expedite your claim.

my sisters friend works at deo and says they deliberately slow down claims hoping people will give up or find work. they get bonuses for denied claims!!!! the whole system is corrupt

Last year I forgot to do my work searches for like 2 weeks and my claim went into adjudication for 3 months!! I called Amazon, Verizon, my apartment complex and literally everyone I owed money to and most gave me extensions or payment plans when I explained I was waiting on unemployment. The only ones who wouldn't work with me were my credit card companies - they didn't care at all. It's definitely worth calling EVERYONE you pay bills to!