DEO claims 97% payment rate but my benefits still pending for 8 weeks - what gives?

Don't believe everything you see on the news. That 97% statistic is technically accurate but extremely misleading. What they don't mention is they're only counting claims that have received a determination - not counting the thousands in 'pending' limbo that haven't even been reviewed yet. Your claim isn't denied or approved, so it's not in their statistic at all. There's likely a hold code on your account that's preventing processing. Did you have any employment gaps in the last 18 months? Or work for multiple employers? Those typically trigger adjudication review.

same thing happend to me lol... waited 10 weeks before anything changed. DEO is complete BS with there numbers

You need to understand how DEO defines their metrics. When they say they've 'processed' 97% of claims, they mean they've entered them into their system and begun some level of review. It doesn't mean 97% of people have received payment. There are several stages where claims get stuck: 1. Initial application review (1-2 weeks) 2. Wage determination (1-3 weeks) 3. Adjudication for issues/flags (4-12 weeks) 4. Appeals if denied (additional 3-8 weeks) Most people get stuck in stage 3 (adjudication) where DEO reviews any potential issues with your claim. Multiple employers, gaps in employment, or discrepancies in reported wages all trigger manual review. You're probably in this stage based on your timeline. The fastest way to get resolution is speaking directly with an adjudication specialist, not just a regular agent. Regular agents can only see that you're in adjudication but can't expedite or resolve issues.

I went thru this back in January and mine took 9 weeks total. the news is just repeating what DEO tells them, its all about making the agency look good. hang in there

After weeks of getting nowhere with DEO's phone system, I finally got through to an actual adjudicator using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have this service that connects you directly to a DEO agent instead of dealing with busy signals and disconnects. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj Once I got through, the agent told me exactly what was holding up my claim (wage dispute with my former employer) and what documents I needed to submit to resolve it. My payments started coming through about 10 days after that call. Totally worth it after spending literally HOURS trying to get through on my own.

One thing that might help is looking at your Determination Status in CONNECT. Log in, go to your claim, and look for any issues listed there. Sometimes there are specific fact-finding questions they need answered, but the system doesn't notify you clearly. If you see any items with 'pending' status, click on them to see if there are additional questions or document upload requirements. Also check your inbox AND correspondence tabs every few days. DEO is notorious for sending requests for information that get buried in your inbox, then disqualifying claims when people don't respond in time because they never saw the message.

Based on what you've shared, you have a multiple employer verification issue, which unfortunately is one of the longer adjudication processes. The system has to verify your employment and wages with each employer separately, and if any employer is slow to respond, it holds up your entire claim. At this point, your best options are: 1. Contact an adjudication specialist directly (difficult but possible) 2. Reach out to your state representative's office for help - they have special channels to DEO 3. Submit a formal escalation request through the CONNECT system For option 3, go to your claim, look for the 'Request Assistance' option (sometimes under 'More Actions'), and specifically mention that you're experiencing financial hardship due to the delay. Use the phrase 'economic emergency' if applicable - this can sometimes flag your claim for expedited review.