DEO investigation stuck for 5 months - is this normal wait time?

OMG im dealin with the EXACT same thing rn!! investigation since december and its march, no money no answers. every time i call deo it says all agents busy then hangs up on me. so frustrating!!!! why do they make us WAIT so long??

Unfortunately, this isn't uncommon. DEO investigations can range from 4-16 weeks depending on the type of issue and current backlog. Five months is definitely on the longer end, but I've seen cases that took 7+ months to resolve. The most common reasons for extended investigations are employer disputes, income verification issues, or suspected identity concerns. Have you received any fact-finding questionnaires in your CONNECT inbox that you might have missed? Often they need additional documentation to proceed, and if you didn't respond, it just sits there.

my sister waited 9 months last year for her claim!! DEO is the WORST agency in florida by far. they dont care if u become homeless waiting for them. she finally got approved but had to move in with me cuz she couldn't pay rent. system is totally broken

I had a similar situation that lasted about 3 months. What finally worked for me was contacting my state representative. Look up who represents your district and email their office explaining your situation. Include your claimant ID, the date you filed, and mention that you've been waiting 5 months with no resolution. They have special channels to DEO and can often get answers when regular claimants can't. My rep's office contacted DEO, and within 10 days my claim was suddenly approved after sitting for months. Worth trying!

If you need to actually speak to someone at DEO (which I HIGHLY recommend for cases stuck this long), try using Claimyr. It's the only thing that worked for me after 2 months of getting nowhere. They connect you directly to a DEO agent instead of waiting through the regular phone system that just hangs up. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj When I finally got through to a real person, they were able to see that my claim was stuck because of a questionnaire that never got sent to me properly. The agent manually triggered it, I completed it, and my claim was approved two weeks later. Sometimes you just need to talk to the right person.

Have u checked ur spam folder for emails from DEO? Sometimes their messages go there & if u miss responding to a request within 7 days they just let ur claim sit there without telling u. Happened to my roommate.

THE DEO IS DELIBERATELY SLOW!!!! They do this on purpose hoping people will give up and go away. They don't want to pay benefits even when you qualify. It's a disgrace and should be illegal. I waited 4 months and they kept making up new "issues" to investigate every time one was resolved. KEEP FIGHTING THEM!!!

Update on my previous suggestion - when contacting your state representative, use a very specific subject line like "Urgent: DEO Claim Stuck in Investigation for 5 Months - Constituent Assistance Needed" and include your zip code. This helps their staff prioritize and route your request properly. Also, in addition to your claimant ID, include your full name, DOB, and the last 4 of your SSN in the email. This will help them verify you're their constituent and speed up their ability to inquire about your case.

did they ever tell u WHY ur under investigation in the first place?? sometimes its sumthing dumb like ur employer reported different wages than what u put or they think u worked somewhere u didn't

I recommend doing two things simultaneously while you wait for your representative to respond: 1) File a formal complaint through the DEO website: http://www.floridajobs.org/unemployment-claim-help-center-complaint-form. These are tracked differently than regular inquiries. 2) Request a formal status update through your CONNECT account by clicking on "Request For Information" in the left menu and selecting "Claim Status" as the inquiry type. While neither will resolve your claim immediately, both create paper trails in the system that can help if you need to escalate further. Document dates, times, and confirmation numbers for everything you submit.

has ur claim status ever changed at all in those 5 months or been the same message the whole time??

After using Claimyr to get through to DEO, ask specifically for a "claim escalation" and mention the 5-month timeframe. According to Florida regulations, investigations should typically be completed within 90 days unless there are exceptional circumstances. The agent can put in a special request to the adjudication supervisor for claims that exceed that timeframe. Be polite but firm about needing this escalation due to the extreme hardship the delay is causing.

Any luck with the representative or getting through to DEO yet? I'm invested in your situation now and hoping you get resolution soon!