When Greg Frank lost his job in March, he went online and filed a claim for reemployment assistance.
Weeks later, he told NBC 6 Responds he is still waiting for an update.
“Every time that I check, the only thing that comes up is my information and it just listed me as pending,” he said. “There’s no other notification.”
It’s a story NBC 6 Responds heard from several viewers in recent days, people who said they applied for benefits weeks ago and were still waiting for information or much needed help.
Rob Grotz was one of them and told NBC 6 in an email he too applied in March, and that: “…his claim is sitting in the 'PENDING PURGATORY' that so many people have been stuck in.”
At a Monday news conference, Governor Ron DeSantis talked about people who applied in March and still had not received benefits.
“If that’s the case, you would have been processed by now,” the governor said.
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DeSantis added there could be a problem with those applications, maybe an incorrect social security number or missing information.
“It’s not like they’ve just been put off to the side and they’re not being processed,” he said. “If the application is complete, you are being processed.”
Greg, meanwhile, said he made sure his application was complete.
“I know that I went question by question and filled it out,” he said. “I’m being listed in the system as being in processing but there’s no conclusion to that.”
Like so many others, Greg said he tried calling the DEO repeatedly and could not get through. He also said he had not been contacted by anyone in the agency to let him know if there was a problem with his application.
As he and his wife prepare to welcome their first son in just a couple of weeks, Greg could not help but worry.
“We’ve gone through most of our savings and so now it’s getting to the point where we’re a little desperate,” he said. “We need the help … I’d really appreciate if the government can do what we really need them to do.”
Greg said his wife applied for unemployment benefits in late April and she was also still waiting for an update on the status of her claim.
NBC 6 shared the details of their situation with the Department of Economic Opportunity Tuesday afternoon.
A spokesperson said they would give the information to the correct team to check into. She also said they should continue trying to call 1-833-FL-APPLY.
