DEO benefit amounts confusion - state vs. federal and can't reach anyone to change effective date

Congrats on getting approved! Let me address your questions: 1. What you're seeing is ONLY your state benefits. The federal supplement won't show in your CONNECT portal at all - it just gets added to your payments automatically when they process each week. Right now the federal supplement is $875/week through the latest extension. 2. The phone disconnection is unfortunately very normal. DEO's phone system is overwhelmed and often disconnects callers rather than keeping them on hold. I had success getting through by calling exactly at 7:30am when they open. 3. Your payment request date is definitely NOT normal. That should be at most 2 weeks from your initial claim date. Sounds like there might be a date error in your claim. I'd recommend trying to get through to DEO to fix both the effective date AND that payment request date issue. Those are two separate problems that need attention.

The payment request date being pushed to 2025 is definitely a system error! The same thing happened to me last month. You need to get this fixed ASAP or you'll keep getting delayed. The problem is usually related to your effective date being set incorrectly. There's actually a specific department that handles backdating/effective date changes. Try this email: BACKDATEHELP@DEO.MYFLORIDA.COM with your claimant ID, last 4 of SSN, and a brief explanation of when you first tried to apply. They fixed mine in about 5 days after I emailed. For the phone issues - I used Claimyr to get through after weeks of failed calls. It's a service that connects you directly to a DEO agent without the wait. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj. It was the only way I finally got someone on the phone to fix my claim issues.

yep thats totally normal unfortunately!!! the system is SO messed up right now. my claim still says I can request payment on a date thats already passed lol. but I still get paid so dont worry too much about that part. for the amounts - the state benefit is what shows in connect, and then the federal just magically appears in your account when they send payment. its weird but thats how they do it. btw those phone numbers are useless most of the time. they hang up on EVERYONE.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS BROKEN BY DESIGN!!!! They make it IMPOSSIBLE to reach anyone. I spent 3 WEEKS trying to get through on that number and never once spoke to a human being. They hang up on purpose to keep their call stats looking good. Your 2025 date is a HUGE red flag - your claim has a serious error. DEO doesn't care about us. They're hoping you'll give up trying. You need to EMAIL every address you can find, and CC your state rep too. It's the only way to get action. I finally got my issues fixed after I contacted my state representative's office and suddenly DEO called ME within 48 hours. And FYI - they won't tell you this, but if your effective date is wrong, you could lose THOUSANDS in benefits you're entitled to. FIGHT FOR YOUR MONEY!!!

I had the exact same issue with that 2025 date showing up! It's a glitch in their system. My claim was stuck in limbo until I got it fixed. I tried calling for weeks with no luck - just disconnects like you're experiencing. I finally discovered a workaround - I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to a DEO agent in about 15 minutes. Their video demo shows exactly how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj The agent I spoke with was able to fix both my effective date AND the weird 2025 date in the system. They explained that those two issues are often connected - when your effective date is wrong, it can push your payment request dates way into the future. After getting it fixed, I was able to claim all my back weeks and got paid for everything I was owed. Definitely worth getting this resolved ASAP!

Update: I emailed the backdating address AND contacted my state rep this morning. I also bit the bullet and tried that Claimyr service to get through by phone. IT WORKED!!! Finally got a DEO agent on the line after weeks of trying. The agent confirmed both issues - my effective date was wrong AND there was a system error causing that 2025 date. She fixed both while I was on the phone. My CONNECT now shows I can claim weeks starting next Monday (which is normal) and she said my effective date was adjusted back to January when I first lost my job. She also explained that the weekly/maximum benefit amounts are just the state portion, and the federal supplement ($875) will be added automatically to each payment. Thanks everyone for your help! This forum saved me so much stress and potentially thousands in benefits I might have missed out on.

so happy for you! i went thru the same mess back in december. the wait times are crazy and then they hang up on u! so frustrating!!! glad u got it fixed