You would not believe the amount of disinformation, misinformation and outright lies are obtained word-of-mouth. I work for a company that has twice been hit by a rumor that has caused our workload to increase by 350% each time. Then the people get really irate when we tell them that the information that was being sent out was not produced or released by us, nor is it our policies. It is though they see it as our fault that someone made a false statement on social media that went viral. The very best place about policies of this type is to go right to the source, as each state is autonomous in its ability to define the requirements of ongoing UI benefits (within certain guidelines) and the timetables for implementing them. Just because someone got benefits or was denied benefits does not mean that they totally understood why, or that their reasons would necessarily apply to you. Considering your situation is somewhat unique, the "rules" are likely different, so it would also be good to verify it with someone like a supervisor or someone that works in the appeals area. If you are denied, make sure to appeal, as the person who denied your request may not have fully understood your situation. Read the denial letter carefully, as this could highlight whether or not they were applying standard vs. pandemic rules and whether or not they understood you as self-employed.