DEO confusion about LWA payment amounts - $1200 vs $1800 in Florida?

I got $1200 (4 paymnt of $300) and nothing since then. DEO websit is NEVER updated with correct info!!

The confusion stems from how FEMA allocated the LWA funds. Initially, states were guaranteed funding for 3 weeks ($900), then additional weeks were approved on a rolling basis. Florida was ultimately approved for 4 weeks total ($1200), not the full 6 weeks ($1800) that some states received. This happened because FEMA exhausted the allocated disaster funds before all states could receive the full 6 weeks. The LWA tracker might not show Florida as "maxed out" because technically Florida didn't receive the maximum possible weeks, but Florida has received all the weeks it was approved for. The DEO's communications on this have been less than clear, unfortunately.

I went through this exact confusion last month. After countless calls to DEO (trust me, it took forever to get through), I finally got a straight answer. Florida was initially approved for 3 weeks, then got a 4th week approval, but that's it. The $1200 total is correct. Some states did get the full 6 weeks, which is where the confusion comes from. If you're trying to get through to DEO to confirm your specific situation, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have a service that helps you bypass the busy signals and actually connect with a DEO agent. Saved me hours of frustration - they have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj

Does anyone else think it's RIDICULOUS that some states got $1800 and Florida only got $1200?!? We have one of the highest costs of living and they cut us short? This is TYPICAL of how Florida treats unemployed people. The entire system is designed to give us as little as possible and make it IMPOSSIBLE to get answers!!!!

This whole LWA situation has been a disaster from start to finish. Here's what actually happened: FEMA had a limited pool of money for this program nationwide. States that applied and were approved earlier got the full 6 weeks of payments ($1800). Florida was slower to implement, so by the time they processed the 4th week of payments, the FEMA funds were depleted. It's not about Florida being "maxed out" - it's that the entire federal program ran out of money. Unfortunately, Florida DEO never clearly communicated this to claimants, which left everyone confused. Many people were planning their budgets expecting $1800, only to receive $1200 with no explanation. For what it's worth, this same confusion happened with PUA, PEUC, and basically every pandemic-related program that ran through DEO. Their communication strategy seems to be "tell no one anything until forced to."

i got 1200 too and my neighbor got 1800 but hes in georgia so i think it depends on ur state?

My friend works at CareerSource and she told me that DEO knew that FL would only get 4 weeks but they didn't tell anyone bcuz they didn't want people complaining!! So they just let everyone think more money was coming. SMH

Just to clarify some information for those still confused: 1. LWA was a limited federal program administered by FEMA, not a standard unemployment benefit 2. States had to apply for each week of funding 3. Florida was approved for and distributed 4 weeks ($1200) 4. Some early-applying states received up to 6 weeks ($1800) 5. The program is now completely closed and no additional LWA payments will be issued for any state If you received $1200 total for LWA in Florida, you have received the complete amount you're eligible for.