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I'm at my wits end dealing with this DEO nightmare. Applied back in January and have been stuck in some kind of limbo since then. My account was completely locked until mid-March (no explanation why), and now I've got 27 WEEKS worth of claims all sitting in pending status! They suddenly asked for my 2019 W2 even though I successfully claimed benefits in 2020 without any issues. I've called hundreds of times but either get disconnected or can't get through at all. FINALLY found a solution yesterday that might help others trapped in 'pending purgatory' like me. Contact your local legislative representative! I reached out to mine and she's actually going to speak directly with the HEAD of DEO about my case. Apparently there's a DEO policy they don't advertise - if you haven't seen payment or account changes in 30+ days, they're required to escalate and resolve within 2 weeks. My rep said documentation helps - save all email confirmations, screenshot call logs, etc. If you're stuck in pending hell, here's where you find your representative: https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/findyourrepresentative. Still waiting but at least something is happening now!
I'm in that same Facebook group!!! It's crazy how many people are in the exact same situation. The group grew by like 300 people just last month! I think a class action lawsuit is the only way to force them to fix this mess. I've been waiting since February with a "pending adjudication" status and zero explanation. Meanwhile my electricity got shut off and I had to borrow money from family just to keep a roof over my head. This is NOT how a government should treat its citizens!!
Update on my situation - after contacting my state rep AND filing a formal complaint with the Inspector General's office (https://www.floridajobs.org/department-directory/office-of-the-inspector-general/contact-the-inspector-general), my claim was suddenly approved last week. The IG complaint seems to light a fire under them because they have to formally investigate. Also worth noting - I found out that DEO is severely understaffed in their adjudication department. An agent told me they have thousands of claims but only dozens of adjudicators. The system is designed to be slow and frustrating, hoping people will just give up. Don't give up!
Update: I managed to get through to DEO this morning. The agent confirmed my mass layoff exemption expired three weeks ago! I'm supposed to be doing 5 work search activities for each week I claim now. She said I need to start immediately for this coming claim, but they might go back and review my previous weeks too. I'm going to start applying for jobs right away. Thanks everyone for the help!
Wait I got confused reading this thread. I thought we only needed to do 3 work searches? When did it change to 5?
Florida has required 5 work search activities per week for regular unemployment since late 2023. It used to be 3 during the pandemic, and some other states still only require 3, which causes confusion. But Florida DEO specifically requires 5 per week unless you have an exemption or are using the CareerSource center option.
btw when u do get thru to someone make sure u write down EVERYTHING. the agent name, ID number, what they told u, date and time. DEO loves to say \
Just following up on my earlier comment - if the morning calls still don't work, another approach is to visit a CareerSource Florida center in person. They have direct lines to DEO specialists and can sometimes get issues resolved that are impossible over regular phone lines. Not all locations offer this service though, so call your local center first to ask if they have DEO assistance available.
UPDATE: IT WORKED!!!! I followed the advice from this thread (especially asking for a Tier 2 specialist and mentioning "week availability restriction") and FINALLY got it resolved! Called at 7:32am, used option 5-7-3, waited about 15 minutes, and got a really helpful agent. She immediately knew what was wrong when I used those specific terms. My weeks from March/April are now showing as available to claim in my CONNECT account! Thank you all SO MUCH for the help - especially the former DEO employee who explained exactly what to say. For anyone else dealing with this issue, the key was definitely getting to the right department and using the correct terminology.
Leslie Parker
anyone know if this works for overpayment issues too? deo saying i owe $4200 but it was their mistake
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Alice Pierce
•Yes, legislative representatives can assist with overpayment issues as well. Make sure you've already filed an appeal through the CONNECT system (you only have 20 days from the date of the overpayment notice to appeal). Provide your representative with a copy of your appeal confirmation and any evidence you have that the overpayment was due to DEO error rather than claimant error. If the overpayment was truly due to a DEO mistake, your representative can request a waiver review, which could result in the overpayment being forgiven. Document-heavy cases like overpayments sometimes take longer to resolve than simple pending payment issues.
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Butch Sledgehammer
UPDATE: My representative's office just called me back! They submitted my case to their DEO contact yesterday and said I should see movement within 7-10 business days. The assistant specifically mentioned that 27 weeks of pending payments is "way outside the acceptable timeframe" and they're marking it as urgent. She also said they've had dozens of similar cases in recent months, so everyone is right about this being a widespread issue. Will update again when (hopefully) payments start moving!
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Juan Moreno
•That's great news! Looking forward to hearing that your payments come through. The legislative route really seems to be the most effective solution when you're trapped in the DEO maze.
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