Renzo Downey
Starting this week, Floridians will begin receiving additional weeks of unemployment benefits because of the federal stimulus.
People receiving checks through the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) Program or the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) programs will be able to receive additional weeks of unemployment benefits through Labor Day, Sept. 6. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) administers unemployment benefits in the state.
“The Department is working diligently to fully implement program extensions for claimants receiving PUA, and these updates should be made available soon,” DEO said in a tweet.
PEUC provides additional weeks to claimants who have exhausted the benefits in their state unemployment program. Meanwhile, PUA provides benefits to jobless workers who otherwise do not qualify for their state unemployment program — such as self-employed, part-time and gig workers.
Claimants should continue to request their benefit payments as weeks become available in their CONNECT account if they remain unemployed.
The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), which provides an additional $300 for people eligible for the state Re-employment Assistance program, has also been extended through Sept. 6.
Both PEUC and PUA benefits were set to end on April 10. FPUC ended March 13.
The extended benefits come as part of the $1.9 trillion federal COVID-19 relief bill, the American Rescue Plan Act. President Joe Biden signed the act into law on March 11.
Floridians can manage their unemployment through the state’s CONNECT system. The portal is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, new claims can be filed online 24 hours a day, seven days per week.
DEO is continuing to waive the waiting week, work search and work registration requirements through April 24 at Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ request.
The American Rescue Plan also waives federal taxes on the first $10,200 of unemployment benefits that an individual collected in 2020. However, that only applies to taxpayers whose adjusted gross income in 2020 was less than $150,000.
8 comments
Mahogany Gibbs
March 22, 2021 at 10:12 am
I have a question. Can i get unemployment if I have worked forty hours every week for a year and then all of sudden i get my hours cut to 30 and 22 a week without a reason. Can my job do that?
J
March 25, 2021 at 7:34 am
Probably not
But you can start freelancing
So start researching the realm and find out which platform supports your industry (workmarket, fiverr,upwork…many more).
Eventually you’ll find one that meets your needs and better yet you’ll have more flexibility while opening you up to supportive programs like PPP loans and MEUC
Gltu!
J
March 25, 2021 at 7:30 am
3 months,
3 months of Redetermination failure, Appeal denial, no income
The DEO can blame their system but for 3 months they have failed my family
Even if I wasnt worthy in their eyes the Federal Government has set aside Billions to support my family these past 3 months yet I get nothing because the DEO cant process simple documents (1099) that I just handed the IRS for 2020 tax return approval
3 months
DEO needs to be replaced
Nelson Solano
March 28, 2021 at 1:49 am
I am a PUA (125 a week starvation fund to live under a bridge they give a citizen they forced to become unemployed through Trump and De Santis incompetence) and for six weeks, FL Unemployment has not paid me a dime of it, at the same time blocking my 300 dollar benefit, which is attached to state’s starvation unemployment benefit. DEO’s pretext for this atrocity is that they needed to once again get copies of items they already had. I duly complied with their requests over a month ago. Still nothing, about to live under a bridge Please help!
Fed up
April 3, 2021 at 1:27 pm
Same here. You’re not alone. Two weeks ago my monetary status changed to pending. After several months of receiving 125 a week based on wages which were submitted correctly at the beginning of my claim. DEO claims they have no income reported even after I uploaded them my w2s and 1099 twice in January and my benefits were held pending monetary review. Florida just does not want to pay us and hopes we give up.
J
April 4, 2021 at 10:26 am
It is not in their place to deny applicants federal aid. PUA should be managed by the US Govt, not states.
If anyone has the option I highly recommend filing a PPP loan with smartbiz or your local bank. Anyone with 1099 earning can get up to 8k for self pay 10 weeks. At 11 weeks you can file for loan forgiveness and apply for a 2nd draw around 8 weeks into that 1st loan. It’s not for everyone but some can benefit. They basically saved my ass after waiting 3+ months for DEO to process my claim, screw up redetermination, mishandle Appeal. The last chat rep says itll get fixed, not holding my breath.
Fed Up
April 3, 2021 at 1:22 pm
If you visit the claiments tab on a weekend, when the DEO website is not accessible, users are greated with a message that refers to the American Rescue Act as the American Bailout Act. I am appauled at the use of terms chosen by the very agency that is supposed to help us hardworking Floridians whom lost our jobs or caught Covid19 at no fault of our own. Those terms almost seem to have been put there intentionally. Anyone else notice this and how do we get the DEO to remove it? I mean cmon who is being bailed out, certainly not us Floridians at 125 a week and all of the pending again bullish.
Gabriel A Carrillo
April 5, 2021 at 2:11 pm
I have been receiving unemployment since may 2020 all of a sudden in February I get locked out to identity verification which I completed 2 months later I’m still waiting after being verified thru the id.me site that the ui connect link sent me to I have lost everything and now I just received an eviction notice no one cares after having a great job and losing it to no fault of my own
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