Will federal $600 payments continue during DEO appeal for work search disqualification?

Yes, you should continue to receive the federal supplement even with your state benefits under appeal, but ONLY if you keep claiming weeks and properly documenting your 5 job searches each time. The federal money is tied to your eligibility for the base state benefit, but during the appeal process you're still considered "potentially eligible" so the federal portion continues. Appeals are taking about 4-6 weeks right now based on what I've seen. Make sure you have documentation ready showing you were actually searching for work during those disqualified weeks - emails, application confirmations, contact info for places you applied, etc. You'll need this evidence during your appeal hearing.

same thing happened to me!! got disqualified for not doing the stupid work searches right. been waiting 7 WEEKS for my appeal hearing. still getting the federal $ tho

The whole DEO system is DESIGNED to disqualify people!!! They make the work search requirements confusing ON PURPOSE so people mess up and get denied. I got disqualified for the same reason last month - didn't know I had to list specific people I talked to at each company. Such BS. My appeal is still "pending" with no date set. Good luck getting ANY help from DEO directly - they don't even answer their own phones!!!

After trying for weeks to reach someone at DEO about my appeal (got disqualified for the exact same reason), I finally used Claimyr.com to get through. They connected me directly to a DEO agent in about 20 minutes instead of me calling for days. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj. The agent told me appeals are prioritized by filing date, and mine was scheduled after about 5 weeks. Just had my hearing yesterday and I'm waiting for the determination. Worth checking out if you need actual answers from DEO about your specific case.

To answer your questions specifically: 1. YES, you should continue receiving federal payments during the appeal process as long as you keep claiming weeks properly. 2. You MUST continue claiming weeks during the appeal or you'll lose those weeks permanently. 3. Appeal timeframes are currently 4-8 weeks depending on your region and case complexity. 4. For the hearing, gather ANY evidence that shows you were actually looking for work: screenshots of applications, confirmation emails, notes from phone calls with employers, etc. 5. When claiming future weeks, make absolutely sure you're documenting all 5 required work searches with complete information. I went through this whole process in January and eventually won my appeal because I could prove I actually was searching for work, just didn't document it properly in the system.

Just to clarify an important point - you specifically need to document 5 UNIQUE job contacts per week. A common mistake is people will contact the same employer multiple times in a week and try to count each contact separately. That won't work. Also, the contact must include submitting an application or resume - just checking job listings doesn't count. Keep this in mind for future weeks you claim. For your appeal, it helps to write a clear, simple explanation of why you misunderstood the requirements. The appeals referees are generally reasonable if you can show you were making a good faith effort to find work.

anybody know if appeal hearings r still by phone or do u have to go in person now?

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with a DEO agent (finally!) after using that Claimyr service someone mentioned. The agent confirmed I'll keep getting the federal payments as long as I keep claiming weeks properly. She also said my appeal is estimated to be scheduled in about 5 weeks. She recommended I upload any evidence of my job searches to my CONNECT account ASAP, even if the documentation isn't perfect. Just wanted to share this info in case anyone else is in the same boat!