Hired attorney after DEO disqualified my claims - can't reach anyone for explanation

The SAME EXACT THING happened to me last month!!! My claim was fine for 6 weeks and then BOOM - disqualified with no explanation. I called 30+ times, sat on hold for HOURS and nobody could explain why! I was laid off from restaurant management and had all my separation docs. I didn't try a lawyer though - how much is that costing you?

This happened to my sister and turned out there was an "employer protest" that she never got notified about. The employer claimed she quit when she was actually laid off. Check your determination letters section in CONNECT - there might be something there you missed.

Before spending money on an attorney, try reaching out to your state representative's office. I was in a similar situation with my claim stuck in adjudication for 10 weeks with no explanation. I contacted my state rep's office, filled out their constituent services form specifically mentioning my DEO issues, and had a call from a DEO supervisor within 48 hours. They have special channels to reach DEO that bypass the regular customer service nightmare. Just Google "Florida state representative" plus your zip code to find yours.

have u tried calling right when they open at 7:30am? thats when i finally got thru after weeks of trying

I actually had good success with Claimyr when I was in a similar situation with disqualified weeks. I couldn't get through to DEO for an entire month despite trying everything. Claimyr connected me with a DEO agent in about 20 minutes who was able to see that my disqualification was due to an error in how my quarterly wage certification was processed. The agent fixed it on the spot and my payments were reissued within a week. Might be worth trying before going the full legal route. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj and the website is claimyr.com.

An attorney is overkill for this situation. The DEO legal department won't talk to your attorney about a regular claim issue - they only deal with appeals after you've received an actual determination letter. You need to get someone to look at why your claim was disqualified first, then appeal if necessary. The problem is getting anyone to look at your claim, which is nearly impossible through normal channels.

Gosh, this DEO system is a nightmare!! I got randomly disqualified last year and it turned out to be because my former employer submitted incorrect separation information. The most frustrating part was that I had NO WAY of knowing this until I FINALLY got through to someone! I think the lawyer approach is actually smart because they might respond to an official legal inquiry when they ignore regular people like us. Please keep us updated on how it goes - this might help a lot of people in similar situations.

Based on your situation, I'd recommend trying these three steps before proceeding with the attorney (this is what worked for me with a similar disqualification issue): 1. Submit a formal appeal through CONNECT even without a specific determination letter - this creates a paper trail 2. Contact the DEO Reemployment Assistance Service Center directly at 833-FL-APPLY (833-352-7759) and specifically ask for a "claim escalation" to a supervisor - use those exact words 3. Send a detailed email to DEO.Appeals@deo.myflorida.com with your claimant ID, full name, last 4 of SSN, and a clear timeline of the issue The appeals email actually got me a call back within 3 days, which was faster than anything else I tried.

PLEASE update us on if the lawyer actually works!!! I bet we're not the only ones having this issue and if attorneys are the only way to get DEO to do their jobs, a lot of us need to know!