DEO partial unemployment confusion - haven't received promised backpay for reduced hours

When did u claim ur weeks? U need to claim every 2 weeks even with partial unemployment. I'm in retail and my hours got cut from 38 to like 15-17 back in December and I've been claiming partial since then. The backpay doesn't just automatically happen - u gotta claim each week and report exactly what u earned. Check under "claim weeks" section and see if u have unclaimed weeks.

I went through something similar with reduced hours last year. Here's how the backpay process actually works: 1. First, they have to adjust your claim start date in their system (sounds like they did this by moving it to January) 2. Then they have to manually add the previous weeks to your CONNECT account for you to claim. This doesn't happen automatically - it requires the agent to create a ticket to the benefits department. 3. Once those weeks appear in your account (usually takes 5-7 business days), you'll need to claim them all individually and report your exact earnings for each week. 4. After claiming, it takes another 2-3 weeks for payments to process on backdated weeks. The reason you don't see that first payment in your CONNECT history is likely because they processed it manually as a test payment to verify your payment method works. This is standard procedure before they release a larger backpay amount. I recommend calling again and specifically asking if they've created the ticket to add your backdated weeks to your CONNECT account. If they haven't done this step, the backpay process hasn't actually started yet, regardless of what they told you.

I had to deal with partial unemployment in Florida for almost 8 months. Getting through to DEO is practically impossible these days - busy signals, disconnects, or 3+ hour holds just to get someone who might not even know the correct procedure. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent in under 25 minutes. They have a system that navigates the phone tree and holds your place in line, then calls you when an agent is ready. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj Once I got through, I specifically asked about my "backdate ticket status" - using those exact words is important. Found out my ticket was stuck because they needed additional income verification. Within 48 hours of providing that, my backdated weeks appeared in CONNECT. Also, keep in mind that for partial unemployment, if you earn more than $275 in a week, you won't receive benefits for that week, but you STILL need to report those earnings to maintain your claim validity.

THE WHOLE DEO SYSTEM IS A JOKE!!! I had reduced hours for THREE MONTHS at the hospital where I work and NEVER SAW A SINGLE PAYMENT despite calling EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! They kept saying "oh we see your claim, it's processing" then "oh we need more verification" then "oh there was a system problem" then "oh we need to escalate this" OVER AND OVER AND OVER!!!!! Don't hold your breath waiting for that backpay. They're INTENTIONALLY making the system complicated to reduce how much they have to pay out. And the agents contradict each other CONSTANTLY because half of them don't even know their own rules!!! If you actually get your money consider yourself LUCKY because thousands of us never did!!!

A bit more information that might help: When you're on partial unemployment in Florida, you need to understand how the income deductions work. Florida uses what's called the "earnings disregard" formula: The first $58 of your weekly earnings are ignored (disregarded), then they deduct 50% of the remainder from your weekly benefit amount (max $275). So if you earn $200 in a week: - First $58 is disregarded: $200 - $58 = $142 - 50% of remainder: $142 × 50% = $71 - Benefit reduction: $71 - Weekly payment: $275 - $71 = $204 This is why your payment amounts will vary week to week based on your earnings. And if you earn over $492 in any week, you'll receive $0 for that week (because after the formula, the deduction would exceed $275). Ask the DEO representative to verify they're using this formula correctly for your backdated weeks. Many agents calculate it incorrectly.

my sister works at the call center for deo and she says they've got a huge backlog right now because of their system upgrade in april. lots of partial unemployment claims are stuck in manual review because the system flags them when there's income reported. she said to keep claiming every week no matter what and make sure u report all income exactly as it appears on your pay stubs. any discrepancy will lock the whole claim for review.

One last piece of advice: Document EVERYTHING. Every time you speak with DEO: 1. Write down the date, time, and agent's name 2. Take detailed notes of what they tell you 3. Ask for a confirmation/reference number for the call 4. If they promise to take a specific action, ask when you can expect it to be completed 5. Request an email confirmation when possible Florida's DEO is notoriously inconsistent, and having this documentation will be crucial if you need to escalate your claim or file an appeal. I had to reference my call notes multiple times to prove I had received certain instructions from agents. Also, your calculation in the previous comment is off - at $385 weekly income, you would receive approximately $82 per week: $385 - $58 = $327 $327 × 50% = $163.50 $275 - $163.50 = $111.50 per week So for 12 weeks of backpay (Jan-Mar), you'd be looking at roughly $1,338 before taxes, assuming your income was consistent each week.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! Been on partial unemployment since February due to hour cuts at my restaurant job (went from 35 hours to about 18-20 weekly). The inconsistency from DEO agents is absolutely maddening - I've gotten completely different answers from every single person I've spoken with. What's really helped me is keeping a spreadsheet with my exact earnings for each week, including gross pay, net pay, and hours worked. When I call DEO, I have all this info ready because they always ask for it. Also learned the hard way that you need to be super specific about which weeks you're asking about - don't just say "January through March" because they'll get confused. One thing that worked for me was calling right at 8:00 AM on Monday mornings. Still takes forever to get through, but seems like there's slightly less volume then. And definitely ask for that supervisor or escalation if the first agent can't help - I wasted weeks talking to people who clearly didn't know the partial unemployment process. The system is definitely broken but don't give up! Document everything like others have said and keep pushing. You're entitled to that backpay if you qualify.

I just went through this exact same nightmare with DEO partial unemployment! Was working reduced hours at a medical office from February through April and the whole process was absolutely chaotic. Here's what finally worked for me after 7 weeks of getting nowhere: 1. Call and specifically ask if they've created a "backdate adjustment ticket" - most agents don't even know what this means, so ask for a supervisor immediately if they seem confused 2. Once they confirm the ticket exists, ask for the ticket number and estimated processing time. Write this down! 3. The backdated weeks won't appear in CONNECT until that ticket is fully processed (took 9 business days for mine) 4. That random $275 payment you got is definitely a "test payment" to verify your banking info works before they release the larger backpay amount The most important thing I learned: You MUST report your earnings as GROSS income (before taxes), not net. I made this mistake initially and it delayed everything by another 3 weeks while they "verified" my income with my employer. Also, keep calling every 3-4 days for status updates. I know it's exhausting but the squeaky wheel gets the grease with DEO. Once my backdated weeks finally appeared, I claimed them all in one day and got the full backpay within 2 weeks. Don't give up - you ARE entitled to that money if you qualify!

I'm going through something very similar right now and this thread has been a lifesaver! I've been on partial unemployment since late February (hours cut from 32 to 18 at my office job) and getting the runaround from DEO for weeks. Based on everyone's advice here, I called this morning at 8 AM sharp and specifically asked about my "backdate adjustment ticket status" - turns out they never created one despite three different agents telling me my backpay was "processing." The supervisor I spoke with finally created the ticket and gave me reference number DEO-2025-BD-847392. She said to expect the backdated weeks to appear in CONNECT within 7-10 business days. Also learned I've been reporting NET income instead of GROSS this whole time, which probably flagged my claim for manual review. Going to recalculate everything using gross pay amounts and be ready with exact figures when those backdated weeks show up. The Claimyr service someone mentioned actually worked - got through to a knowledgeable agent in 22 minutes instead of spending hours on hold. Definitely worth the small fee to avoid the phone tree nightmare. Keep pushing everyone - we're all entitled to these benefits if we qualify! Document everything and don't take "it's processing" as an answer without specific details.