JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Many unemployed Floridians are having déjà vu this week as the CONNECT system has been on the fritz, preventing many claimants from requesting assistance.
Many people are stuck in the waiting room for hours. Some are kicked off when it’s finally their turn. To make matters worse, the website has been shut down multiple times this week as the website is flooded with frantic claimants.
“I’ve been trying since Monday,” said Rebecca Roberts.
Roberts has a deadline coming up to claim her weeks, and she’s terrified she won’t be able to access CONNECT in time.
“I’m scared to death,” Roberts said. “I don’t know how I’m going to pay my electric, I don’t know how I’m going to buy food.”
Roberts has spent her week watching her little blue man slowly progress in the CONNECT waiting room.
“I wait two hours to get through the line and then it crashes over again,” Roberts said.
The Department of Economic Opportunity said if you miss the deadline, you can still claim your weeks but it may delay your payment.
Many claimants say they just can’t afford to wait any longer.
“Is this even going to happen,” asked Kelly Johnson in frustration. “Are we going to be locked out of our benefits again?”
First Coast News found a trick for users to actually skip the line that takes hours to get through. When you click on the link to access CONNECT, quickly press ‘enter’ and then ‘escape.’ Wait a few seconds and it will take you straight to the sign-in page. You may have to try it a few times to get the timing right.
“We really learned a lot through COVID-19 and it doesn’t really have to do with the virus,” Johnson said, as she’s spent months trying to find any trick to better her chances at collecting benefits.
“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,” Roberts said.