DEO benefits balance running out - Will this cut off the $600 federal payments too?

The $600 FPUC payments and your regular Florida RA benefits are completely separate. When your Florida balance runs out, you won't receive any more state benefits unless you qualify for an extension, but the $600 federal supplement continues until July 31st, 2025 as long as you're eligible for at least $1 of state benefits during each claimed week. So if your balance runs out before July 31st, you would need to qualify for PEUC (the 13-week extension) to keep receiving both.

The previous comment isn't 100% accurate. When your balance hits zero, you STOP getting both regular benefits AND the $600. BUT you should automatically be considered for the PEUC extension which gives 13 more weeks. Once that extension kicks in, you'll get both your weekly benefit AND the $600 again. Important: some people don't get automatically enrolled in PEUC for some reason - if your benefits end and you don't see anything about PEUC after 1-2 weeks, call DEO (good luck with that lol) or email them.

I've been trying to reach DEO about this exact same issue for two weeks straight. My balance is almost gone and I'm freaking out about losing the $600 since that's what's actually paying my rent! I can't get through on the phone at all - busy signal or it just hangs up on me. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to someone at DEO these days?

IMPORTANT!!!! When ur balance gets to ZERO, u need to look for a link in CONNECT that says something about PEUC or extension. sometimes it shows up right away, sometimes takes a week. DO NOT FILE A NEW CLAIM!!! thats a huge mistake and will mess everything up worse. if no link shows up after a week, you HAVE TO call them. and yes, the $600 stops until u get on PEUC. florida deo is THE WORST.

Adding to what others have said - when you get on PEUC, your benefit amount stays exactly the same as your regular unemployment. The PEUC extension lasts for 13 weeks or until the program ends (currently scheduled for December 2025), whichever comes first. After PEUC runs out, there's another extension called Extended Benefits (EB) that could give you even more weeks depending on Florida's unemployment rate at that time. But one step at a time - focus on making sure you get on PEUC first when your balance runs low.

One more thing to keep in mind - you still need to claim your weeks on your regular schedule even during that gap period between your balance hitting zero and PEUC kicking in. If you don't, you might not get backpay for those weeks. The system won't let you request payment (since you have no balance), but there should be an option to report/claim your weeks anyway. Keep documenting your work searches too (5 per week) during this transition time.