Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity has announced that many out-of-work residents who were deemed ineligible to receive benefits through the department's website may now qualify for federal assistance.
FDEO says, under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, many Floridians that were previously deemed ineligible over this past weekend may now be eligible.
People who applied for benefits before April 4th, including self-employed and gig workers, must reapply to receive assistance.
Those who applied after April 5th, and were deemed ineligible, will be given information on how to apply by the DEO.
Over the weekend, the state’s unemployment portal was down for maintenance.
Florida’s DEO reports, because of the work done over the weekend, it has processed nearly 80% of the unique claims that were submitted and nearly 47% of claimants have been paid.
Still, out-of-work people have reported multiple issues and growing frustration with the online portal, which included being deemed ineligible for benefits.
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Officials with the department say there are many reasons why people may be deemed ineligible, including wage base period issues, a lack of wage history, multiple claims in one year, separation circumstances and incomplete applications.
Currently, the cap on the state benefits is $275 per week which is among the lowest amounts paid in the country.
The benefits can last for up to 12 weeks, while most states allow benefits to last for up to 26 weeks.
For more information on how to apply for federal assistance, visit the Department of Economic Opportunity’s website.
