DEO has my claim 'on hold' since May - facing homelessness while waiting for adjudication

I was in the exact same boat back in January. My claim sat in adjudication for 11 weeks while I nearly lost everything. What finally worked for me was using Claimyr to actually reach a live person who could escalate my claim. Their system gets you past the endless busy signals and disconnects (I spent days trying before finding them). You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj. Within a week after getting connected to a senior adjudicator, my claim was processed and I received my backpay. The website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out. Literally saved me from getting evicted!

omg been waiting since APRIL so i feel ur pain!! DEO is the WORST!! they told me the same garbage about calling back every 2 weeks. my adjudication is for a stupid employer dispute where my boss fired me for being 10 min late ONE TIME after 3 yrs there. hang in there, hoping we both get paid soon!!!

There are a few things you can try to speed up your claim: 1. Contact your state representative's office. They have liaisons who work directly with DEO and can often get claims unstuck. 2. Make sure you've submitted all documentation for whatever is causing the adjudication - if it's separation issue, provide termination letters, emails, etc. 3. Ask specifically what information is missing or holding up your claim when you call. Get names of representatives you speak with. 4. Continue claiming weeks even while waiting for adjudication. 5. If you're facing imminent homelessness, mention this specifically when you call - they do have procedures to expedite hardship cases. The system is frustrating but persistence really does pay off eventually. Also, check your CONNECT inbox and spam folders daily for any fact-finding questionnaires that might have been sent.

Yup, DEO is completely overwhelmed due to budget cuts. They're operating with 1/3 the staff they had during the pandemic but claim volume is still way above pre-pandemic levels. I worked in the system (not for DEO directly, but adjacent) until last year. Here's the inside scoop: claims with separation issues are being prioritized by 1) severity of hardship and 2) complexity of case. If your separation reason is complicated or your employer is disputing it, you get put in the longer queue. Have you received ANY fact-finding questionnaires or notices in your CONNECT inbox? Sometimes they send these and if you don't respond in 48 hours, your claim sits in limbo.

I waited 14 weeks for my first payment just to be denied because my former employer lied about why I was terminated. The adjudication process is a complete joke - it's designed to discourage people from collecting benefits they're entitled to. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Every call, every conversation, every submission. Write down names, dates, confirmation numbers. This will help when you inevitably have to appeal (you'll have 20 days to appeal once they finally make a determination).

have you tried going to CareerSource office in person? they sometimes can help with claim issues + they have emergency assistance programs. also try contacting legal aid for possible help with eviction if it comes to that. Florida law requires landlord to give notice before filing eviction

One technical thing that might help - adjudication is taking longer than usual because they've implemented new fraud prevention measures after the massive fraud during the pandemic. Make absolutely sure your ID.me verification is complete and current. Sometimes claims get stuck because the ID verification has an issue that nobody tells you about. You can go to id.me directly and check your status, then make sure it's properly linked to your CONNECT account.

After reading through all the advice here, I just wanted to add one more thing that worked for me: when I finally got through to DEO using Claimyr, I very calmly but clearly explained that I had documented every single contact attempt, had followed all procedures correctly, and was planning to reach out to local news stations about my experience if my case couldn't be resolved. The agent immediately transferred me to a supervisor who was suddenly able to push my claim through. Sometimes you have to be the squeaky wheel (while remaining respectful).

Have you been answering all the fact-finding questions? Sometimes they send those and if you miss them, your claim gets stuck. Also, are you checking your CONNECT inbox and not just your email? Sometimes notifications don't get sent properly. So frustrating they make this process so difficult!!! 😡