I went through this exact same situation last year with a 12-week severance package! The waiting period is definitely frustrating, but here's what I learned: DEO treats your lump sum severance as if you're receiving weekly paychecks for the duration it's meant to cover. So yes, you'll likely need to wait the full 13 weeks before benefits start. The key things to remember: 1) Keep claiming your weeks religiously - even though you won't get paid for those weeks, you MUST claim them to maintain eligibility, 2) Use this time to stay on top of your work search requirements (5 activities per week), and 3) The adjudication process is reviewing your severance documentation to calculate exactly when your benefits can begin. I know it's incredibly stressful not knowing when money will start coming in, but once that 13-week period ends, your benefits should kick in automatically if you've been claiming consistently. The system is definitely not user-friendly, but you're doing everything right by staying proactive about it. Hang in there - February will come faster than you think!

I'm also dealing with this situation right now - got laid off in January with a 10-week severance package and have been stuck in adjudication for 3 weeks. This entire thread has been incredibly helpful! I had no idea about so many of these details until reading everyone's experiences. One thing I wanted to add that might help others: I contacted my former HR department to get a copy of my severance agreement documentation, and they were actually really helpful in explaining exactly how they reported it to DEO. Having that paperwork made me feel more confident about what to expect during the adjudication process. Also, I've been using this waiting period to update my LinkedIn profile, take some free online courses, and really focus on my job search strategy. Since we have to do the work search activities anyway, I figured I might as well make the most of this time and hopefully land something before my severance period even ends. It's honestly ridiculous how confusing DEO makes this whole process, but seeing everyone's success stories and advice gives me hope that the system does eventually work (even if it's painfully slow). Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is way more helpful than any official DEO resource I've found!

Congratulations on winning your appeal! That's such a huge victory after 6 weeks of fighting. I went through a similar situation about 3 months ago when DEO initially denied me for work search issues, even though I had all my documentation properly submitted. After I got my determination letter, it took about 6 business days for my account status to change from "Hold - Adjudication" to "Eligible" in CONNECT, and then another 4 days for the actual payment to hit my bank account. The back pay came as one lump sum of around $3,400. You're doing everything right by continuing to claim your weekly certifications - that's super important. The key now is just patience and monitoring your account once daily (not every hour like I was doing - it just adds stress!). One thing that really helped me was taking screenshots of everything, especially that determination letter. Also, don't panic if you see any weird status fluctuations in your account - the system sometimes bounces around a bit while processing appeals. Your $4,750 should process automatically once their system catches up. You don't need to do anything else on your end - just keep claiming weeks and wait for the magic to happen. The hardest part is definitely behind you now that you have that favorable determination in writing. Hang in there!

Congratulations on winning your appeal! That's such a huge accomplishment after fighting for 6 weeks. I've been following this community for a while as I navigate my own unemployment journey, and it's so encouraging to see success stories like yours. From everything I've read here and other forums, it sounds like you're in great shape now. The determination letter is your golden ticket - you've already done the hardest part. Most people seem to see their payments within 1-2 weeks after getting that letter, though everyone's timeline varies a bit. I love how supportive this community is with sharing real experiences and timelines. It makes such a difference to have people who actually understand what you're going through rather than just generic advice. Keep us posted on how it goes! I'm sure others who are waiting for their own appeal decisions would love to hear about your experience once the payment comes through. Fingers crossed everything processes smoothly and quickly for you!

I'm dealing with this exact same interstate nightmare right now! Remote worker from Colorado for a Florida company, been waiting 8 weeks since filing with Colorado unemployment and getting absolutely nowhere. What's really helped me after reading through this entire thread: - Finally got through to FL DEO yesterday using that Claimyr service someone mentioned - turns out Colorado never actually sent any wage verification request despite telling me they did 6 weeks ago! - My former employer's payroll department had been waiting for verification requests that never came - Started calling both states daily with specific questions about case numbers and reference IDs like others suggested The breakthrough came when I got both states on a three-way call (took me 47 attempts to coordinate this) and we discovered the wage request was sitting in Colorado's "pending interstate queue" with no one assigned to process it. The agent was able to send it while we were all on the phone together. For anyone just starting this process - don't trust ANYTHING either state tells you about "processing" or "waiting for information." Demand specifics, get reference numbers, and verify everything with both states. The system is completely broken but persistence does eventually pay off. I should finally get my first payment next week after 8 weeks of hell, but at least I'll get all the backpay. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - this thread literally saved my sanity and gave me the roadmap to finally get results!

I'm currently dealing with this exact same situation as a remote worker from Arizona for a Florida company! Filed with Arizona unemployment 3 weeks ago and this thread has been absolutely eye-opening about what I'm actually facing. Based on everyone's experiences here, I realize I need to stop passively waiting and start being aggressive about managing this process myself. Arizona unemployment just keeps telling me to "wait for processing" but clearly that means nothing is actually happening behind the scenes. Starting tomorrow I'm going to: - Call FL DEO directly to verify if they've actually received any wage verification request from Arizona - Get my former employer's payroll department involved proactively to make sure they're ready for verification requests - Start that documentation spreadsheet everyone's mentioned (wish I'd started this 3 weeks ago!) - Try that Claimyr service if I can't get through to actual humans The three-way call strategy that @Zadie Patel mentioned is brilliant - I never would have thought to coordinate both states on the same call to force them to actually communicate instead of just claiming they are. This thread should honestly be required reading for any remote worker. The fact that we have to become our own case managers for what should be a routine government process is absolutely insane, but at least now I know what I'm up against. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and strategies!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Lost my job in retail back in December but just filed three weeks ago because I kept thinking something would come through quickly. Reading through all these responses has been such a relief - I had completely misunderstood how the 12-week limit and backdating work together. The way everyone's explained it finally makes sense: Florida gives you 12 weeks of benefits total, but backdating determines when those 12 weeks START counting from. So if I get approved to backdate to December, I'd get benefits from December through March. If denied, I get benefits from when I filed forward for 12 weeks. I'm definitely going to try that 7:30 AM calling strategy to reach a claims specialist - I've been calling randomly with no luck. I also have job applications and follow-up emails from January/February showing I was actively job searching, which hopefully demonstrates I had reasonable belief I'd find work quickly rather than just ignoring my unemployment status. The information about Florida Statute 443.091 and "circumstances beyond individual's control" gives me so much more hope than I had before. It sounds like the key is being detailed about WHY you thought you'd find work quickly and having documentation to back it up. Even if the first request gets denied, knowing that appeals can work makes this feel much less hopeless. Thanks to everyone for sharing your real experiences - it's made navigating this confusing system so much easier to understand!

I'm currently dealing with this exact situation and wanted to share what I've learned from my experience so far. Lost my job in food service in late January but didn't file until two weeks ago because I genuinely thought I'd bounce back quickly (clearly a mistake!). The biggest relief from reading this entire thread is finally understanding that Florida's 12-week benefit limit and backdating are completely separate issues. I was absolutely panicking thinking I'd already "lost" those January/February weeks by waiting to file, but now I understand it's about when your 12-week benefit period STARTS counting from, not about missing weeks entirely. I just submitted my "Request to Modify Claim Date" form yesterday and I'm planning to try that 7:30 AM calling strategy everyone mentioned to reach an actual claims specialist. I have job applications, interview confirmation emails, and even text messages from restaurant managers who kept saying "we'll call you next week" for literally months - hopefully that shows I had legitimate reasons to believe I'd be working again soon. The information about Florida Statute 443.091 and how "circumstances beyond individual's control" can be interpreted more broadly than just medical emergencies gives me so much more hope than I had before reading this thread. Even if my first request gets denied, knowing that the appeals process has worked for others makes this feel way less hopeless. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences here - you've made navigating this incredibly confusing system so much more manageable!