DEO hasn't paid a dime with only 2 weeks left to claim - what am I doing wrong?

You're probably stuck in the adjudication process. There should be an 'Issues and Determinations' section on your CONNECT homepage - does it show any pending issues? Also, check if you have any fact-finding questionnaires that need to be completed. Those can silently hold up payments without much notification.

Thank you for responding! I checked the Issues section and it shows 'Identity Verification - Pending Adjudication' from 3/15. But I already did the ID.me verification when I first applied! Should I do it again? This is so frustrating.

call them!!!!! ive been calling literally 50 times a day for 2 weeks and FINALLY got through yesterday. turns out they needed me to upload one more document for my identity but never sent me a notification. within 24 hrs my payments started processing after 7 weeks of NOTHING. the system is completely broken.

I've tried calling so many times but just get disconnected or a message saying they're too busy. What time of day did you finally get through?

I had the EXACT same problem last month. It's crazy frustrating. Check if your claim says 'monetarily eligible' or just 'eligible' - there's a difference. Also make sure your work search requirements are being entered correctly (5 per week). One wrong entry can hold up everything.

It says 'monetarily eligible' and I've been super careful with my work searches. I enter all 5 with full details every time. Could it be that my former employer is contesting it? How would I even know?

Your situation is unfortunately common right now. If you're seeing an identity verification issue in adjudication, that's definitely the holdup. The problem is that even though you completed ID.me, sometimes it doesn't properly connect to your CONNECT account. When this happens, it requires manual review by a DEO agent. Here's what I recommend:\n\n1. Call first thing in the morning (7:29am, right before they open)\n2. Check if there are any action items in your CONNECT inbox\n3. Try the chat function on the DEO website (sometimes more responsive than phones)\n4. Email IdentityVerification@deo.myflorida.com with your claimant ID and explanation\n\nThe key is getting someone to manually review your identity verification status. Once that's cleared, your payments should process within 2-3 business days.

Thank you so much for the detailed advice! I'll try calling at 7:29am tomorrow and will send that email today. The chat function never seems to work for me - it just says agents are busy. Really appreciate the help!

After going through a similar nightmare with DEO (5 weeks without payment), I finally found Claimyr.com which got me through to an actual agent in about 25 minutes when I'd been trying for weeks. They have this system that holds your place in line. Cost me a bit but completely worth it because the agent immediately cleared my identity verification issue. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj\n\nOnce I got through, I found out they needed additional verification even though I'd done ID.me correctly. The agent pushed it through while I was on the phone, and my payments started processing the next day.

I hadn't heard of that service before! At this point I'd try anything. Did they need any weird personal info or anything? And the agent was actually helpful?

They just needed my phone number to hold my place in line - it's pretty straightforward. And yes, I got a really helpful agent who could see exactly what was holding up my claim. The backlog of identity verification cases is apparently huge right now, so getting someone to manually review it made all the difference.

i tried clamer yesterday and it worked but the lady i got was RUDE af and just kept saying to wait my turn. so i guess depends which agent u get

DEO SYSTEM IS GARBAGE!!!!! Been dealing with this nonsense for 2 years on and off. Half the time the \

I'm starting to feel the same way. It's like they design the system to be as frustrating as possible so people give up on their rightful benefits.

Quick update on identity verification issues - DEO has been experiencing a backlog specifically with claims filed in March 2025. There was a system update that caused some ID.me verifications to not properly link with CONNECT accounts. The good news is they're aware of the issue and working through the backlog, but the bad news is you'll definitely need to speak with an agent to get it resolved. Either be persistent with calling or use a service to get through.

That actually makes sense with the timing of my claim. I'll try to get through to someone and specifically mention the March 2025 ID.me connection issue. Thanks for the insider info!

did u check ur payment method in connect? my friend had similar issue and her payments were stuck becuz the system had direct deposit but she needed the way2go card. worth checking

Just checked and my payment method is set up correctly with direct deposit to my bank account. Thanks for the suggestion though!

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at DEO this morning! Used that Claimyr service that was recommended and got connected to an agent in about 30 minutes. Turns out there WAS an issue with my ID.me verification not properly linking to my CONNECT account. The agent manually verified my identity and said my payments should process within 48-72 hours. She also said they're working through a backlog of similar cases from March. Fingers crossed this solves it - will update when/if I see the money hit my account!

That's awesome! Glad you finally got some help. Let us know when the money comes through!

FINAL UPDATE: All my payments just hit my account this morning!!! All 9 weeks at once. Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions. If anyone else is stuck with identity verification issues, definitely try to speak directly with an agent - it made all the difference.