DEO locked me out after winning RTW appeal - 2 years without promised backpay!
Has anyone dealt with DEO completely forgetting about their promise to pay?? So frustrating! I had my return-to-work hearing back in 2023 where the adjudicator literally told me I would be receiving all my back pay within 3-4 weeks. I won the appeal because my employer fired me without proper documentation. The adjudicator said I was eligible for $4,650 in retroactive benefits. Fast forward TWO YEARS and I still haven't seen a PENNY of that money! Now when I try to log into CONNECT to check the status, it says my account is "temporarily unavailable" and I need to contact customer service. I've called over 200 times in the past month and either get disconnected or sit on hold until the office closes. I'm beyond frustrated with DEO. They make promises they don't keep, their system is broken, and there's no accountability. Has anyone actually managed to get their backpay after this long? Or found a way to actually speak to a human being there??
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Landon Flounder
Almost the same thing happened to me!!! My appeal was in January 2024, was approved, and still waiting on my $3200. They said 'it's processing' whenever I actually reach someone (which is like once every 3 months). The system is designed to make us give up I swear
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Jacinda Yu
•Exactly! It's like they're counting on people getting frustrated and walking away. How have you managed to reach someone? I can't even get that far.
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Callum Savage
The CONNECT system locks accounts after periods of inactivity. If it's been 2 years since you regularly accessed your account, that's likely what happened. You need to call the technical support line specifically at 833-352-7759 and request an account reset. They'll verify your identity and should be able to help. Regarding the backpay - DEO has a separate department that handles retroactive payments from appeals. Your case might be sitting in their backlog, but you have a legal right to that money if you won your appeal. There's no statute of limitations on them paying what they owe you.
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Jacinda Yu
•Thanks for that number! I'll try it tomorrow morning. Do you know if I'll need to have my determination letter handy? I still have the paperwork somewhere but will need to dig it out.
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Ally Tailer
After trying for WEEKS to get through to DEO about my backpay (was owed around $5k from a wrongful termination case), I finally used Claimyr and got through to an actual agent in under 30 minutes. They have this service where they navigate DEO's phone system for you and call you back when they have an agent on the line. Cost me a bit but totally worth avoiding the 300+ redials I was doing before. Their website is claimyr.com and you can see how it works at https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj Once I actually spoke to someone, they explained my backpay was held up because of a "technical flag" on my account that no one had reviewed. The agent removed it and I had my money within 10 days.
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Landon Flounder
•Is this legit? Feels sketchy to pay someone just to talk to DEO... but then again I'm desperate at this point.
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Ally Tailer
•It's legitimate - they don't access your DEO account or anything like that. They just connect you with an agent. I was skeptical too but after calling 40+ times a day for two weeks I was willing to try anything.
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Aliyah Debovski
DEO is absolutely worthless. I won my appeal in 2022, got a letter saying I'd get $6700, and guess what? NOTHING. I gave up after a year of trying. The whole system is designed to deny benefits and make it so complicated that people just walk away. Good luck but don't hold your breath.
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Miranda Singer
•This kind of defeatist attitude doesn't help anyone. Yes, DEO has problems, but people DO get their benefits and backpay eventually. You probably needed to escalate your case to a supervisor or contact your state representative.
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Aliyah Debovski
•Easy to say when you got your money! Some of us don't have hours to sit on hold every week for months on end. The system IS broken.
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Cass Green
Have you tried contacting your state representative? My husband's claim was stuck for 7 months until we reached out to our local state rep's office. They have special contacts at DEO who can help move things along. Also, make sure you're documenting everything - dates you call, who you speak with, what they tell you, etc. This will help if you need to escalate further. For the locked account issue, try calling right when they open (7:30 am). That's when I've had the most success getting through.
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Jacinda Yu
•I hadn't thought about contacting my state rep! That's a great idea. Do I just call their local office? And yes, I'll definitely start documenting everything from now on.
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Finley Garrett
my cousin works at DEO (not saying which office lol) and she told me they have a HUGE backlog of appeal payments from 2020-2023 that theyre still working through. something about the system not being set up to handle so many appeals after covid. you should def keep trying but also maybe file a complaint with the department of labor?? not sure if that will help but worth a shot
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Callum Savage
•Filing a complaint with the US Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration is actually helpful. They oversee state unemployment programs and can intervene if benefits are improperly delayed. You can submit complaints online at their website.
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Jacinda Yu
Update: I tried calling that technical support number that someone suggested (833-352-7759) and actually got through! The rep said my account was locked due to inactivity but she unlocked it for me. I can log in now, but my claim still shows no payment history for those weeks I was approved for. At least it's progress though. I'm going to try the Claimyr service to get through to the benefits department next. I'll also reach out to my state representative as suggested. Thanks everyone for the advice! Will keep you updated if I ever see that money.
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Landon Flounder
•Please let us know if you get your backpay! I'm still fighting for mine and need all the hope I can get lol
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Cass Green
•That's great progress! When you speak with the benefits department, ask specifically for the Appeals Resolution Team. They handle the actual payment release after successful appeals. Good luck!
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