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No benefits after 6 weeks in adjudication - DEO pending issue not resolving

Filed my unemployment claim on 2/23/25 and still stuck in adjudication hell! It shows my weekly benefit amount ($375) and I've been dutifully submitting my 5 work search activities every week, but NOTHING has been paid out. For 6 straight weeks I've seen the same annoying message: "Your claim has a pending issue awaiting an adjudication determination." I'm at my wit's end! Every bill is piling up, and I've burned through my savings after getting laid off from my warehouse supervisor position. I've tried calling DEO literally 47 times (yes, I kept count) and either get disconnected immediately or the automated system tells me all agents are busy. Do I just keep claiming weeks? How long is this adjudication process supposed to take? I've checked my CONNECT inbox daily and there's no messages asking for additional documents or information. Has anyone successfully gotten through this limbo state recently? Any advice would save my sanity!

Brooklyn Knight

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LOL welcome to Florida's unemployment system 🙃 they LOVE keeping ppl in adjudication for months. I was stuck there for 10 weeks last yr

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PrinceJoe

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10 WEEKS?! That's insane! Did they eventually pay you for all the weeks you claimed during that time? I'm so stressed about falling behind on rent.

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Owen Devar

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Unfortunately this is pretty common with the DEO right now. The system is claiming you have some issue that needs to be reviewed by an adjudicator before payments can be released. The problem is there's a massive backlog of claims needing adjudication and not enough staff. You should absolutely keep claiming your weeks - if/when your claim is approved, you'll get paid for all those claimed weeks retroactively.

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PrinceJoe

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Thanks for confirming I should keep claiming. I'm just worried there's something wrong with my application that I'm not aware of. Is there any way to find out what the specific "pending issue" actually is?

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Daniel Rivera

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mine was stuck bcuz i checked the wrong box on seperation reason... took 7wks to fix & they never told me what was wrong, just suddenly got all my $ one day

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Sophie Footman

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Couple things that might help: 1) Check your Determination Status page in CONNECT. Sometimes it'll show what's holding up your claim (separation issue, wages, identity verification) 2) Look at the "Fact Finding" section - there might be questionnaires waiting for response that don't trigger notifications 3) Check if your identity verification with ID.me is complete and linked properly to your CONNECT account 4) Send a message through CONNECT to the claims department specifically mentioning "adjudication delay exceeding 6 weeks" - this exact phrasing sometimes flags for priority 5) Contact your state representative's office - they have special DEO liaisons who can often get answers And yes, definitely keep claiming weeks while this is sorting out!

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PrinceJoe

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Thank you! I just checked the Determination Status page and it says "Pending Adjudication - Separation" which I guess means they're questioning something about my job separation? My employer laid off 30% of staff due to restructuring, so I don't understand the issue. I didn't see anything in Fact Finding though. I'll try sending that message with your exact wording!

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Connor Rupert

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If it says "Separation" that means they're investigating why you left your last job. Even with clear layoffs, they still need to verify with your employer. Problem is, many employers don't respond quickly to DEO inquiries (or at all). Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to an agent? I was in adjudication for 5 weeks until I used their service to actually speak with someone. Cost money but worth it when I found out my employer hadn't responded to DEO's inquiry. The agent sent a second request while I was on the phone. Got my determination a week later. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj

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Brooklyn Knight

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Sounds like a scam tbh why pay $ when u can just wait it out

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PrinceJoe

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Never heard of that service but at this point I'm desperate enough to try anything. Did the agent tell you anything specific about your claim once you got through? My former employer is a large company so I'm surprised they wouldn't have responded.

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Connor Rupert

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@OP - Yes, the agent told me exactly what was holding up my claim (employer hadn't responded to their inquiry about separation reason). She was able to see notes on my account that I couldn't access in CONNECT. She sent a second request to my employer while on the phone with me and marked my file for expedited review once they received the response. Got my determination 8 days later. @skeptical - Not a scam. It's just a call service that connects you to DEO without the 200+ redials and hours on hold. Some people value their time more than money when bills are at stake.

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Molly Hansen

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THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIGGED TO DENY BENEFITS!!!! They intentionally put EVERYONE in "adjudication" to wear you down so you give up. I was in adjudication for THREE MONTHS with zero communication, and when I finally got through they said there was NEVER any issue with my claim - the adjudicator just hadn't gotten to it!!! They do this on purpose to save the state money by NOT PAYING LEGITIMATE CLAIMS!!!

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Brady Clean

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This exactly!!! had the same xperience last summer. DEO is corrupt AF! They count on people giving up.

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Owen Devar

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Since you mentioned it's a separation issue, there's a specific approach that may help. Call the Employer Information Center at 1-850-921-3316 (not the regular DEO line) and ask if your former employer has responded to their request for information. They're often less busy than the claimant line. Also, make sure you check your spam/junk email folders. Sometimes DEO sends fact-finding questionnaires via email that end up filtered, and if you miss responding to those, it extends adjudication. Lastly, check the "Determination and Pending Issues" section in CONNECT (different from the main Determination page). It sometimes shows specific issues that need addressing.

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PrinceJoe

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I didn't know about that employer information line! Will try calling them tomorrow. I've been checking my email obsessively including spam folders but haven't received anything from DEO. Just checked that Pending Issues section and it shows "Adjudication - Voluntary Quit" which is completely wrong! I didn't quit - I was laid off with a termination letter stating "position eliminated due to restructuring." This explains everything! How do I correct this?

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Sophie Footman

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Ah! That's your issue right there. Somehow your separation reason was entered incorrectly. This happens more often than you'd think. You need to: 1) Upload your termination letter to CONNECT immediately under "Document Upload" section. Label it "PROOF OF LAYOFF - NOT VOLUNTARY QUIT" 2) Send a message through CONNECT stating: "My separation was incorrectly coded as voluntary quit. I was laid off due to position elimination/restructuring. I've uploaded my termination letter as proof. Please correct this error and expedite adjudication." 3) Try calling specifically during non-peak hours (Tuesday-Thursday, either right when they open at 7:30am or between 4-6pm) The good news is that once this is corrected, your claim should move fairly quickly. The bad news is you still need someone to actually make the correction.

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PrinceJoe

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THANK YOU! Just uploaded my termination letter and sent that exact message. This makes so much sense now. I'm setting an alarm to try calling right when they open tomorrow. Can't believe a simple coding error has cost me 6 weeks of benefits and endless stress!

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Skylar Neal

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my cousin works for deo (dont tell anyone lol) and she says they're super understaffed in the adjudication dept right now. says they got like 10 people handling thousands of cases. its a mess over there

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Owen Devar

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Quick update question - did you select "layoff" as your separation reason when you initially filed? Sometimes people accidentally select the wrong option during the application process, which then requires correction during adjudication. If you have your confirmation page from when you first applied, it would show what you selected.

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PrinceJoe

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You know what, I just reviewed my initial application and I think I made a terrible mistake. There were so many options and I selected "Job Elimination" but it was under a category that might have been interpreted as voluntary. I was rushing through the application late at night after being laid off. So this might actually be my error. Feel like such an idiot right now.

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Sophie Footman

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Don't beat yourself up! The CONNECT system is notoriously confusing and the separation reason options are particularly unclear. Many people make this exact mistake. The important thing is you've identified the problem and taken steps to correct it. Keep us posted on what happens after you call tomorrow!

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PrinceJoe

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UPDATE: Success!! Called right at 7:30am using the Claimyr service someone recommended here (worth every penny). Actually spoke to a real person who was super helpful. She confirmed the voluntary quit coding was wrong, saw my uploaded termination letter, and changed my separation reason right on the spot to "Lack of Work/Layoff." She said my claim should be approved within 48-72 hours now that the correction is made! THANK YOU all for helping me figure this out!

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Brooklyn Knight

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congrats!! hope u get paid soon!

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Owen Devar

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Great news! This is exactly why it's so important to identify the specific issue. Many adjudication delays can be resolved quickly once you know what's actually holding things up. Please come back and let us know when you receive your payments!

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