DEO extended benefits showing balance but no claim weeks available - what gives?

happened to me last year after i switched from regular unemployment to extended. took about a week for weeks to show up to claim. the system is weird like that. but i got paid for all the weeks i was eligible for once they showed up

That's reassuring to hear you got paid for all eligible weeks! Makes me feel better about the situation.

Update us when your weeks appear! I'm curious if it takes the same amount of time as it did for me.

Will do! According to most people here, sounds like I should expect to wait around a week. I'll post back when something changes.

UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know that my claim weeks finally appeared this morning! It took exactly 7 days from when I first saw the balance. I was able to claim 2 weeks at once, and the system confirmed they'd be paid with my next deposit. Thank you all for the help and reassurance - was driving myself crazy thinking I was doing something wrong!

good to hear! DEO sucks but sometimes things work out lol

This happened to me in January! The system is SO frustrating. There's actually a glitch in CONNECT where sometimes after transitioning to extended benefits, the system needs 1-2 'processing cycles' before it starts showing available weeks. For me, it took about 8 days before the claim weeks suddenly appeared. Keep checking every morning - they usually update the system overnight. When they finally appeared, I was able to claim 2 weeks at once.

Thanks for this info! Did your payments get backdated to cover the gap period while you were waiting, or did you just lose those days of benefits? I'm seriously worried about making rent if this drags on.

yep same thing different benefit period. took 5 days for me. system is garbage lol

Ugh, at least it's not just me! Did your weeks eventually show up automatically or did you have to call someone?

I HATE THE DEO WITH A BURNING PASSION!!! I went thru the EXACT same nonsense last month. Their stupid broken system shows you have money but gives you NO WAY to get it!! I waited 12 DAYS with nothing happening, called 30+ times, and sent multiple messages through the CONNECT portal. NOTHING HELPED. Then magically one day the weeks appeared with ZERO explanation. DEO is designed to STOP US from getting OUR MONEY!!!!

omg THIS. So much this.

After dealing with Florida's unemployment system for 2 years I've seen this happen a lot during benefit transitions. There's actually a technical reason - when you switch from regular benefits to extended benefits, the system has to reprocess your entire claim under the new program rules. This causes a delay where weeks aren't available to claim even though you have a balance. I recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a DEO agent. They have a service that gets you connected to a live agent instead of waiting on hold for hours. I was skeptical but their video demo (https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj) shows how it works. They got me through to resolve my extended benefits issue when I couldn't get anyone on the phone for weeks.

does this claimyr thing actually work tho? seems suspicious that u have to pay to talk to a gov agency we should have access to already?

It worked for me. I was desperate after trying for 2 weeks to reach someone. The way I see it, the few dollars I spent saved me from possibly missing out on thousands in benefits. But everyone's situation is different - just sharing what worked in my case.

I'm a former DEO contractor, and this is actually a known issue in the CONNECT system. When transitioning between benefit programs (regular UI to extended benefits), the system needs to recalculate your Weekly Benefit Amount and Maximum Benefit Amount under the new program rules. During this processing period, which typically takes 5-10 business days, you'll see your balance but won't have claim weeks available.\n\nYou have three options:\n\n1. Wait it out - in most cases, the weeks will appear automatically and you'll be able to claim retroactively for the waiting period.\n\n2. Call DEO and ask specifically for a 'benefit program transition review' - this specific language helps the agent understand exactly what needs to be done.\n\n3. Submit a message through your CONNECT portal specifically requesting 'manual week generation for extended benefits transition' - again, using this specific terminology helps route your request correctly.\n\nDon't worry, your benefits are secured once you see that balance, it's just a processing delay.

Thank you SO much for this detailed explanation! This makes me feel much better knowing it's a normal process. I'll wait until early next week, and if nothing changes, I'll try calling again with the exact language you suggested. Really appreciate the insider knowledge!

Wait you got aproved for extended benefits?? I thought those ended!! What kind of extended benifits are these?

These are just the standard Florida extended benefits that kick in after regular RA benefits are exhausted - not the pandemic ones. You can get them if you meet certain work history requirements. My claim specialist explained I qualified for an additional 12 weeks based on my base period wages.