Exact Answer: 12 – 23 Weeks
The state of Florida administers unemployment benefits for its citizens. The benefits are governed by the Reemployment Assistance Program through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The Reemployment Assistance Program provides temporary and partial wage replacement for qualified workers who have become unemployed through no actual fault of their own.
One must be partially or totally unemployed. The person should have lost the job not due to his fault. This means that one must not be fired for malicious misconduct or have quit the job for personal reasons for availing unemployment benefits.
How Long Can You Collect Unemployment In Florida?
| Stages | Time |
| The time that is taken to receive the first payment | 3 – 4 weeks |
| Unemployment benefits are received | 12 weeks |
An unemployed person will continue to receive Reemployment Assistance weekly for up to 12 weeks. When that unemployed person secures a job, the payment will stop. However, working part-time or temporarily does not necessarily end the unemployment benefits.
Once the period of the Reemployment Assistance program is ended, no further extension programs are available. When one receives 12 weeks of unemployment benefits or reaches the maximum total benefit amount of $3300, the Reemployment Assistance payments will stop. The duration of receiving benefits ranges anywhere between 12 and 23 weeks depending on Florida’s current unemployment rate.
In addition to the Reemployment Assistance Program, there are other programs to help unemployed Floridians. These are different than unemployment benefits, and thus one needs to apply for them separately. Eligibility for one benefit does not guarantee or prohibit eligibility for another benefit scheme.
Why Does It Take So Long To Collect Unemployment In Florida?
Before one applies for Florida unemployment benefits, one needs certain information available to support their claim like their social security number, contact details, the dates one worked for each employer in the past 18 months, wages earned in previous jobs, a driver’s license, or some other form of identity proof, etc.
The weekly payment amount one will receive during unemployment will vary from person to person. The only way to be sure of one unemployment benefit amount is by submitting a claim.
Within one week of becoming unemployed, one should begin the claim process to receive the Reemployment Assistance benefits. The date on which one’s application is finished determines when will one begin receiving unemployment benefits. Claims begin on the Sunday before the completion of the application. For example, an application completed on Wednesday will take effect on the Sunday before that Wednesday.
All claims for unemployment in Florida must be completed online. The process of filing the claim takes about 30 – 60 minutes to complete. Once the claim is filed, one will get the confirmation notice that the claim is received. The request for benefit payment should be made no later than seven days from the scheduled report date.
If the claim gets accepted, it takes about 2 – 4 weeks to receive the first payment. The week in which one files the claim is called “waiting week’ during which no benefits are paid. One must submit information that is completely true and accurate. Florida unemployment law states if one doesn’t submit true information, the benefits could be denied. If one is caught falsifying information, that person could be prosecuted under Florida laws.
Conclusion
Before applying for unemployment benefits, the unemployed person should meet three requirements. These requirements include: being able, available, and actively searching for work, the reason for unemployment should be that you have lost your job through no fault of your own, and also that one has earned enough wages in his employment days and base period to qualify for payments.
The agency responsible for unemployment benefits in Florida is called the Department of Economic Opportunity. If the unemployed person meets the eligibility requirements to collect unemployment benefits in Florida, the benefits can be availed for about 12 weeks. However, the most important criteria for availing of these benefits is that one must be unemployed and out of work not due to one’s own fault.
References
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