JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There are many different programs unemployed Floridians are utilizing — one being Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which is a federal program usually geared toward those who are self-employed and gig workers.
A lot of those workers are currently fighting a wage redetermination battle.
At the beginning of the pandemic, many people who were approved for PUA received $125 per week and figured that was the maximum benefits they were eligible for.
That $125 is the initial approval rate, and you may be eligible for more. It’s just a challenge to get the Department of Economic Opportunity to acknowledge this.
Ella Wigfall was initially receiving $125 until realizing with this PUA benefits calculator, that she was eligible for more. Wigfall sent in the necessary documentation to prove her wages.
“They said I was eligible to receive $240, so they backdated me and gave me the retro benefits for that,” Wigfall said.
Unfortunately, Wigfall’s problems weren’t immediately solved there. All of a sudden, DEO started deducting money from her recent unemployment payments.
“I called them and they said I was paid benefits I wasn’t eligible for,” Wigfall said.
Wigfall says some DEO employees have acknowledged, that just isn’t right. She says they told her it was a glitch. Vicki Hill also knows she’s eligible for more, but has had challenges to have DEO actually fix her claim.
“They finally did a wage redetermination and increased my WBA to $160,” Hill said.
She even has a letter to prove it.
“I thought everything was going great,” Hill said. “Two weeks later I get an inbox that I have an overpayment.”
So, Wigfall and Hill are continuing to fight the wage redetermination battle. If you need your wages redetermined, you need to prove your income. Follow these steps.
- Fax Wage Verification Documents (1099's, Schedule C, Bank Statements, etc.) to 850-617-6505 or 850-488-2123
- Email: 1099g@deo.myflorida.com
Attention/Subject: Wage Determination Unit
Every page must include the following at the top right-hand corner:
- Claimant ID
- Last 4 digits of SS#
- Phone Number (associated with CONNECT) account
Make sure you are sending emails from the same email address you have registered with CONNECT.
Important: Make sure your wage documents reflect the same amount you reported on your application. According to Unemployment expert Vanessa Brito, some accounts will be locked if the amounts do not match due to a glitch.