TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) unveiled new county and industry-specific data on the Reemployment Assistance (RA) Claims Dashboard. DEO will update this information weekly, but will continue updating the dashboard daily with the total number of Reemployment Assistance claims submitted, verified, processed and paid. As of April 22, DEO has verified 688,723 unique claims and paid 116,830 claimants a total of nearly $150.5 million.

“Providing Reemployment Assistance claim information by county and industry is critical to Governor DeSantis’ efforts to assist Floridians as we reopen Florida’s economy. We will continue to provide complete transparency, streamline the reemployment assistance process and cut red tape to get Floridians the help they deserve,” said Department of Management Services Secretary Jonathan Satter.

Additional Updates:

• DEO will be conducting nightly maintenance to the CONNECT system to process claims and payments faster. CONNECT will be available from 8 a.m. to 7:59 p.m. daily. This schedule does not affect individuals that wish to file a new claim. Individuals can file a new claim 24 hours a day, seven days per week.

• The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program provides unemployment benefits to those that may not otherwise be eligible under Florida’s state Reemployment Assistance program, including independent contractors and individuals who are self-employed. DEO will provide additional information on how to apply for PUA this week.

• Governor DeSantis continues to eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles to ensure claims are processed and paid as quickly as possible. On an emergency basis, Governor DeSantis suspended the requirement that recipients submit a report every two weeks regarding their job search and ability to work in order to keep receiving benefits. The Governor’s Administration also suspended the one-week waiting period that required claimants to wait seven days before they could receive reemployment assistance. 
  

How to Apply:
DEO has a mobile-friendly online application for individuals filing a new Reemployment Assistance claim available at www.FloridaJobs.org/RAApplication. For a step by step guide on how to apply read more here. For the Reemployment Assistance Resource Guide which includes frequently asked questions, please click here. For additional information about Reemployment Assistance benefits visit www.FloridaJobs.org/COVID-19. 

About DEO

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity combines the state’s economic, workforce and community development efforts, expediting economic development projects to fuel job creation in competitive communities and promote economic resiliency. For more information, including valuable resources for employers and job seekers, please visit www.FloridaJobs.org.