HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Floridians filing for unemployment benefits contacted the ABC Action News I-Team, saying they've been waiting on a decision on their claims for months as incoming bills become overwhelming.
Though Florida has seen a drop in unemployment over the past month, dozens of people have said they cannot get a hold of anyone at the state's Department of Commerce.
This story started with a tip directing the I-Team to threads on Reddit, with hundreds of comments about "pending adjudication" — meaning unemployment claims that are under review. The review is supposed to last weeks, but can drag on for months, drowning people in debt.
Randy Robbins had never applied for unemployment before September when he lost his job at Hillsborough County's Barrington Middle School.
“I was actually working with children, I was helping them with their disabilities, developmental disabilities primarily," Robbins said.
Robbins fought for nearly three months to collect unemployment.
“Very stressful; I have bills that keep on coming no matter what; of course, I am my mom’s primary caretaker, so I take care of all that," Robbins said.
His claim was eventually approved but was first stuck in what the state calls an adjudication hold.
“They found it in my favor, fully favorable, but what happened was there was a glitch, and they had actually not updated in the system that I was approved, so they left it as denied," Robbins told the I-Team.
As claimants look for work, it's practically a full-time job trying to get through to the Department of Commerce.
“It’s very frustrating. You can never get a hold of anybody. When you try to, the wait times are anywhere between four to seven hours or more," Robbins said. “I was only told you can contact the Office of Inspector General for Florida, and again, the backlog with the cases, it could take them months to over a year or more to review this, and they cannot guarantee any resolution."
Brittany Wilson has worked hard to provide a home for her kids. She's also fallen on hard times. She was laid off earlier this year.
"Rent is high, food is high, like, it’s crazy," she said.
The I-Team first met Wilson after she won the lottery. But she was denied those winnings because the state incorrectly believed she had been overpaid in unemployment. The I-Team discovered thousands of others in the same situation and were able to help get Wilson — and others — their money.
Florida lottery winners' money taken by the state, I-Team helps get it back
Then, Wilson found herself as one of many stuck in an unemployment adjudication hold.
“Having to go through this again, it’s just a nightmare," she said, recalling having to wait two to three hours to speak with someone earlier this year.
Then — "I literally called like a week ago and even prior to that week, whenever I call — then it’s like, oh, there’s no representative, it’s busy, try your call again later. And then they hang up on you," Wilson said.
Her claim was pending adjudication for more than a month.
"The anxiety of it and looking in my phone, trying to check my balance, you know, on my unemployment card and not seeing anything there, bills piling up, you know, it just overwhelming," Wilson said.
Robbins eventually received most of his benefits, but is still waiting on a backdated portion for when he was locked out of the system and unable to reach anyone.
“I do think that our unemployment rate is much higher than what they would lead to believe. I believe there’s a backlog of people who can’t even file their unemployment claims in a timely manner," Robbins told the I-Team. “I would like lawmakers to look into this and make corrections to where you can get somebody on the phone, you can leave a voicemail if not, and they call back within 24-48 hours, you can connect with somebody through live chat, and they can answer your direct questions after they verify who you are."
Wilson said she is still struggling to reach someone on the phone.
“I need my problem dealt with right now," she said. “I don’t want to end up being out on the street and I don’t want to end up like now. My benefits are denied.”
Wilson told the I-Team she is appealing that decision.
The I-Team called and emailed the Florida Department of Commerce several times over the past two weeks about these concerns, asking about the months-long delays, hours-long wait times, and staffing and forwarding the contact information of people who have been unable to reach someone. Like many other Floridians, the I-Team is still waiting on answers.
Meanwhile, some people have followed up to let the I-Team know that after reaching out on their behalf, they are now receiving benefits.
If you have something you'd like the I-Team to investigate, contact Kylie:
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