Florida Unemployment
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DEO denied my July week as a 'waiting week' despite waiver still being active - hung up on at lunch!
I'm ready to tear my hair out dealing with Florida DEO right now! I was receiving regular unemployment benefits and then got notified to reapply for the new quarter starting July. Everything seemed fine until I realized they didn't pay me for my first week of July claiming period - system shows it as a 'waiting week.' But isn't the waiting week waiver still in effect through 2025?? The DEO's own automated phone message even says waiting weeks are waived! Spent nearly 90 minutes today trying to reach someone. Finally got an agent who basically said 'too bad, nothing I can do' about the waiting week OR about the last week of June that the system wouldn't let me claim. I asked for a supervisor and was on hold for over 30 minutes... then at 12:15pm exactly, CLICK - disconnected!! Called back immediately and now getting that infuriating 'call volume too high, no callbacks available' message. I'm missing two full weeks of benefits now ($875) that I'm entitled to! Has anyone else had the 'waiting week' issue recently? Any tips on how to actually get this resolved with a human who knows what they're doing? This is absolute insanity.
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Is Florida DEO still processing PUA claims in 2025? Need urgent info while on medical leave
Hi everyone, I'm currently on medical leave from my job (not COVID-related but its a qualifying medical condition) and trying to figure out if I can get any unemployment assistance. I heard PUA was available during the pandemic, but is Florida DEO still processing these types of claims in 2025? If they are, how long does it typically take to get approved? And what documentation do I need to submit to prove my situation? My HR department hasn't been helpful at all and I'm getting really worried about covering bills while I'm out. Thanks for any help!
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Soooo I know this isn't exactly what you asked but have you looked into applying for disability? My cousin did that when she had to take extended medical leave and it helped her. Not sure how long your medical stuff will last but might be worth looking into?
I'm supposed to be on leave for about 8 weeks according to my doctor. From what I understand, Social Security Disability is for longer-term situations? But I'll definitely look into it more. Thanks for the suggestion!
Just to follow up on the Social Security Disability question - for short-term situations (8 weeks), you definitely won't qualify for SSDI. That's for long-term disabilities expected to last at least a year or result in death. The application process alone often takes 3-5 months for the initial decision. I think your best options are the emergency assistance programs others have mentioned: - 211 for local resources - County emergency assistance programs - Food banks and SNAP (food stamps) - Utility company hardship programs - Religious organizations often have emergency funds - Nonprofits specific to your medical condition might offer assistance Also, double-check with your HR - sometimes companies have Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) that can provide emergency loans or grants that aren't well advertised.
good advice! also check churches near u, they sometimes help with bills too even if ur not a member
Partial unemployment for intermittent furlough days - DEO reporting questions
I'm dealing with my wife's partial unemployment claim for 2025 and DEO is making me want to pull my hair out! She works for a healthcare company that put her on an intermittent furlough schedule starting March 3rd. We waited until April 15th to file because we thought it would be temporary, but it's continuing indefinitely. Her claim effective date shows as April 17th, but I submitted a request to backdate it to March 3rd almost THREE WEEKS AGO with zero response. Meanwhile, we're trying to figure out how to properly report these mixed work/furlough weeks: 1. Do we round hours when reporting to DEO? Her time sheets show decimals (22.4 hours one week, 15.8 another) but CONNECT only accepts whole numbers 2. For calculating earnings, do we use actual gross pay (including overtime premium) or just multiply regular hourly rate times hours? Example: She worked 7.5 hours regular time and 4 hours overtime in one week - do I report the actual higher amount with overtime premium? 3. For weeks with only 1-2 furlough days out of 5, is it even worth claiming? Will she qualify for anything? 4. She received one payment of $340 plus a $750 supplement right after we first filed. Does that cover her waiting week? I've tried calling DEO about 40 times this week - either get disconnected immediately or wait on hold for 2+ hours only to have the call drop. Yesterday I requested a callback but never received one. I'm at my wits end trying to navigate this system while making sure we're reporting everything correctly! Thanks for any guidance on these partial unemployment questions!
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my brother is on ferlough too and he says always claim every week even if u only missed 1 day cause otherwise DEO thinks ur back full time and it closes ur claim!! happened to his friend
This is correct - if you don't claim weeks for 3 consecutive periods (which is 6 weeks in Florida since you claim biweekly), the system will automatically assume you've returned to full-time work and can inactivate your claim. With intermittent furlough situations, consistency in filing is extremely important.
that $340+$750 sounds like regular payment plus the new florida supplement thing they just started. waiting week doesnt get paid i think
You're partially right. The $340 is likely her Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA) and the $750 is the new Florida Economic Assistance Supplement that started in 2025. However, Florida does now pay for the waiting week - they changed this rule in late 2024. The waiting week is still served (first eligible week), but you do receive payment for it, typically with your first or second benefit payment.
Where to see the $300 extra weekly benefits on DEO CONNECT? Only getting regular payments
I started my unemployment claim 3 weeks ago and I've only been receiving the regular weekly benefit amount ($315). I thought there was supposed to be an extra $300 weekly benefit too? I can't find this extra payment anywhere in my CONNECT account. Does it show up separately online or do I have to call the automated line to check on it? I've looked everywhere on the CONNECT website but only see my regular payments. Sorry if this is a dumb question - I'm completely new to this unemployment process and it's really confusing.
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Make sure you're doing all your work searches (5 per week) and claiming your weeks on time! If you miss claiming a week, you don't get paid for it - I learned that the hard way. Also, DEO is really strict about the work search requirements now compared to during COVID. They're doing more audits and checking if job contacts are legitimate. Just wanted to mention that since you said you're new to the system.
Thanks for the reminder! I've been keeping detailed records of all my job applications. Is there any specific format they prefer for documenting work searches?
When you claim weeks in CONNECT, they'll ask you to enter the work search details - company name, date of contact, method of contact (online/in-person/phone), result, etc. But I also keep my own spreadsheet with more details like job posting links, confirmation emails, contact info, etc. If they audit you, having those extra details really helps. Some people take screenshots of job applications too. Better safe than sorry!
That's great advice! I'll start keeping a spreadsheet with all those details. I definitely don't want to risk losing my benefits because of documentation issues.
DEO paid regular benefits but missing $600 federal - was getting it next day, now 3+ days nothing
So I finally got through the CONNECT system nightmare and claimed my weeks. DEO deposited my regular unemployment benefits to my account like normal (about $275 after taxes), but I'm still waiting on the $600 federal supplement that used to come the next day. It's been 3 days now and nothing. My bank account is getting dangerously low and I'm starting to panic a bit. Has anyone else noticed delays with the federal portion recently? Should I try calling DEO (even though that's basically impossible) or just keep waiting? Is there a separate system for the federal money that might be backed up?
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my neighbor works at our local CareerSource office and she says they've been getting tons of calls about this same issue. apparently DEO is doing some kind of system update that's slowing down the federal payments. she said everyone has been getting them eventually though.
Daryl Bright
this happned to me to!!! i think its a glitch in there stuped system. its so anoying that we have to deal with this garbage when we just need are money!!! good luck
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Harmony Love
UPDATE: I finally got through to DEO this morning! Used the Claimyr service that someone recommended above and got connected to an agent within 20 minutes instead of fighting busy signals all day. The agent confirmed it was a system error on both issues. She was able to immediately apply the waiting week waiver override for my July week. For the missing June week, she had to transfer me to a different department, but that specialist was able to process a "cross-quarter claim week adjustment" to recover that payment too. Both payments should be processed within 48 hours. HUGE relief! Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!
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Rudy Cenizo
That's awesome!!! So glad you got it fixed! DEO is such a mess right now but at least some of their agents know what they're doing.
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