DEO approved my benefits 4 months ago but zero payments received - CONNECT shows 'On Hold' status

This is unfortunately way too common with Florida DEO right now. I was in the exact same situation - approved but no payments for almost 3 months. What finally worked for me was contacting the office of my state senator (not representative). Their constituent services team has direct contacts at DEO that can actually look into your claim and break the logjam. They solved my issue in about 10 days after I'd been waiting for months. Look up your FL state senator and reach out to their office ASAP.

ur prolly stuck in the fraud verification system. happened 2 me 2. DEO never tells u but they flag tons of claims and then they just sit there forever. try sending a message thru CONNECT under the contact us section with subject line "PAYMENT HOLD URGENT" and ask specifically if ur account is under fraud review.

I think there's a glitch in the CONNECT system where accounts get stuck in limbo after approval. Sometimes it's because they're missing documentation but they never tell you! Did you upload your ID through ID.me? Sometimes that verification doesn't properly link to your CONNECT account even though you completed it. Also check if there's any "fact finding" questionnaires in your account that might be hidden in the determination section.

After trying for MONTHS to reach someone at DEO about my similar situation, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and actually got through to a real person at DEO in about 20 minutes. They found that my claim had a "program integrity hold" that wasn't visible in my CONNECT account. The agent was able to remove it and my payments started processing the next day. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj - it was literally the only way I could get a human on the phone after trying for weeks.

THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE PEOPLE GIVE UP!!! They approve you so their stats look good but then put mysterious holds so they never pay out. I waited SEVEN MONTHS before finally getting my backpay. They're counting on people getting jobs and forgetting about it. DON'T GIVE UP! Document EVERYTHING. Screenshot every page in your CONNECT account regularly. File a complaint with the US Department of Labor too - that's what finally worked for me.

Former DEO employee here. What you're experiencing is called an "administrative hold" - it's different from a pending adjudication or monetary hold. Administrative holds are often applied when the system flags potential issues but no one has been assigned to review them. These can stay in place indefinitely if not addressed. Your best options are: 1. Contact your state senator's office as suggested above 2. Submit a formal appeal through CONNECT (even though there's nothing specific to appeal, this forces your case into a different queue) 3. If possible, visit a CareerSource Florida office in person - some locations have DEO staff on certain days who can look up your claim Also, check if your banking information is entered correctly in CONNECT. Sometimes payments are issued but rejected by banks, causing a silent hold.

my cousin had the same thing happen last year. turns out there was a "quarterly wage review" happening automatically in the system that put everything on hold. they never tell u about this! he finally got all his backpay after 5 months. keep claiming weeks no matter what!!!

i've been on hold with deo for 1hr 43min right now as i type this lol. if i actually get thru to someone i'll ask them about your situation too

UPDATE on my earlier advice: I just learned that if you're working with your state senator's office, make sure to provide them with: 1. Full name as it appears in CONNECT 2. Claimant ID number (not SSN) 3. A brief timeline of your claim (when applied, approved, etc.) 4. Exactly what you're seeing in your account ("On Hold" status) 5. A signed consent form they'll provide allowing them to inquire about your claim This speeds up the process considerably. Their constituent services staff deal with DEO issues all day and know exactly who to contact.

Did you check if you have any "Return to Work" issues? Sometimes DEO thinks you've been offered work and declined it, even if that's not true. It shows up under the "Determinations" tab as "RTW" and can put all payments on hold.