People who have dealt with Florida’s unemployment system have become fast friends — sharing their stories and comparing notes.
“Every morning we wake up, 'did you get anything, did you get anything? How’s your claim changed?' And nothing!” said Michelle Chason.
The latest update in the saga is figuring out why the $600 federal checks some people were receiving suddenly stopped showing up.
The DEO told ABC Action News those payments should be going out bi-weekly, but some say they're not.
“May 19 was the last time I got a $600 payment and there are thousands of us, it’s almost like we’re stuck in another black hole,” said Chason.
That date seems to be common for many, even the ABC Action News I-Team when they published a story about Florida’s slow response handing out federal money.
“It’s just so frustrating,” Chason said.
The US Department of Labor says Florida made its first withdrawal from the federal fund on April 14, a week after the funds were made available.
That response has U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Ron Wyden requesting the U.S. Department of Labor investigate the FLDEO immediately saying, “Florida’s performance has proved uniquely poor” in helping folks get paid.
The letter, sent to DOL, also says since March 15, the state has only processed 20% of the nearly 2 million Florida residents who have applied for unemployment assistance.
“I started tagging him, Senator Schumer, Speaker Pelosi and also the US Department of labor,” Chason said. “It would be wonderful if they did a quick investigation and see what’s going on.”
We’ve reached out to the Department of Labor to see if it plans on following through with an investigation. We’ll let you know when we hear back.
