Jakia Albritton, owner of a one-woman commercial and home cleaning company in Titusville, called News 6 to help her access her prize money.

The latest data from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity shows Orlando’s unemployment rate remains at 2.6% for the third month in a row despite statewide growth.

Make Ends Meet

Steven Terrell told News 6 the DEO indicated it would take up to six weeks to get the problem resolved with no guarantee he would get the funds.

The secretary for the misdemeanor division of the public defender’s office in Viera lost a hefty $5,000 lottery prize to pay part of an unemployment overpayment issued by the Department of Economic Opportunity.

A man found shot and killed outside an Orlando apartment complex Wednesday morning has been identified, according to the police department.

A Maitland police officer was involved in a crash in Apopka, according to Florida Highway Patrol.

The Florida State Lottery recently said over 5,000 winners “show(ed) potential outstanding state owed debt balance” within the last year.

What was supposed to be a happy day at the lottery office turned into a financial gut punch for Florida couple Dolly Kountz and Dave Kreshpane.

A 72-year-old Titusville woman and her daughter found themselves on the brink of foreclosure after Homeowner Assistance Funds issued by the Department of Economic Opportunity went missing.

A DeBary mother can now make Christmas special for her seven children after News 6 stepped in to help get her lottery winnings following a snag with DEO.

A DeBary mother is hoping to collect her lotto winnings before Christmas after losing the money because of an issue with unemployment overpayment.

The secretary of Florida’s Dept. of Economic Opportunity is resigning at the end of the month.Dane Eagle sent a resignation letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis on Dec. 2.

Imagine after waiting two years for state and federal unemployment benefits, one visit to a television studio gets all your missing money, more than $8,000, deposited in your account in 48 hours.

A DeBary Parks Department employee discovered his identity was being used to collect unemployment benefits after he won a $1,000 Gold Rush Supreme scratch-off prize last October.

A preliminary review by News 6 found several residents have experienced similar cases where Homeowner Assistance funds paid by the DEO could not be accounted for.

Since late February, the Department of Economic Opportunity has navigated a post-COVID financial lifeline for more than 11,000 homeowners across the state.

The bartender and former Applebee’s manager was set to go on vacation, so the timing of a big cash prize on a single-ticket purchase was almost too good to be true.

At the strike of midnight Saturday, the Department of Economic Opportunity’s successful Homeowner Assistance Program will stop accepting new registrations from Florida homeowners seeking financial help.

Peter and his wife Nanette told News 6 they borrowed money and depleted 10 years of savings waiting for the Department of Economic Opportunity to issue Peter’s unemployment benefits dating back to September 2020.

The DEO reviewed Julie Meier’s case and issued a total of $13,560 dollars into her bank account within a period of three weeks.

Carsa Craighton has been waiting since December 2020 to have more than $4,000 in state unemployment benefits reissued to her Way2Go debit card after the Department of Economic Opportunity took the funds back.

A 74-year-old's lottery winnings were withheld when the DEO said he was overpaid for unemployment benefits. However, he's been retired since 2014.

After more than two years of waiting for 36 weeks of state and federal unemployment benefits, worth more than $14,000, an unemployed DeLand woman is one step closer to collecting her cash.

This is the latest edition of the Make Ends Meet newsletter.

The scammers are back on the robocall circuit and according to the Federal Trade Commission, 2.8 million people lost an estimated $5.2 billion dollars to conmen in 2021 alone.

Tom O’Rourke, a 65-year-old from Palm Coast, lost his job and discovered someone else had already been collecting unemployment benefits under his name before News 6 stepped in to help.

When Kathleen Masters’ husband Ron died from complications linked to COVID-19, she never imagined the state’s unemployment security system would block the release of his 1099-G tax form.

The fight to change Florida’s sexual assault law appears to be destined to fade away this legislative session, leaving a potential loophole for anyone accused of raping someone incapacitated by drugs or alcohol.

An unemployed Tampa travel nurse recruiter has been blocked from state unemployment benefits after working 25 hours as a customer service phone representative.

Anna Marie Blair called News 6 and the Make Ends Meet team after getting that unexpected response from the DEO last week.

The latest version of unemployment fraud showed up in the files of a Central Florida commercial real estate company as 18 people filed claims for a company they never worked for.

In October, Baker landed what she thought was the perfect at home job offer but it turned out to be a scheme she has seen dozens of times since.

Sylvia Intelisano, 74, of Palm County, Florida said she will never forget the overpayment notice she received from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

With an open space where the kitchen stove used to be, a broken-down refrigerator and a bank overdraft of nearly $500, Nedda Ryan had run out of financial options because of a mistake by the Department of Economic Opportunity.

The Department of Labor is planning to develop job training and workforce programs to address the specific needs of cities coast to coast, U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh told News 6.

John “Jack” Sullivan never thought he would be collecting unemployment benefits at this stage of his life, but at 78 years old, the retired sales manager not only needed benefits, but was “stuck” waiting for those benefits since August 2020.

The South Florida real estate appraiser and father of two said COVID-19 created a void that forced him to turn to part-time work to make ends meet.

A veteran Volusia County Schools paraprofessional recently discovered her Department of Economic Opportunity account had been hacked by an imposter.

Beverly Jerome and her husband have been caught in a state unemployment “return to work” issue dating back to Sept. 22, 2020.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is on pace to pay back benefits for every remaining unemployment week by early 2022, according to new data released by the DEO to WKMG-TV.

We're taking you behind-the-scenes of Make Ends Meet. The segment initially started as something different before exposing the DEO's broken unemployment system.

Sara Marie, of Fort Myers, is one of thousands of Florida residents tired of waiting for unpaid unemployment benefits, wondering if they will ever get paid.

The mother of two faced another system glitch that locked her DEO account in July, blocking an estimated seven weeks, $1,200, in back-benefits.

A single mother of three and a man have been living the same Department of Economic Opportunity benefits delay for the last 6 months.

A missing 1-year-old boy last seen in Marion County on Tuesday may be with two adults heading to Illinois, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Hurricane season is slow and may close up shop early, and that’s a good thing!

A wide range of outdoor festivals are popping up across our area on Saturday.

Instead of a check for $1,000, a Titusville waitress received a check for $175 with an explanation that the missing funds were directed to the DEO because of an unemployment benefits overpayment.

A local audio engineer and his family are out of sync after trying to acquire his “expired” benefits from the Department of Economic Opportunity for the past six months.

When Orange County Fire Rescue veteran Erik Siena lost his 5-month battle with brain cancer this past May, his wife Cristy filed for the death benefit provided under Florida Senate Bill 426.

ID.me, the company hired to verify the identification of Florida unemployment account holders has launched a full-court press to stop cybercriminals employing social engineering to steal the personal information of claimants applying for unemployment assistance.

Volusia County schools is reopening its online learning application for students Friday morning.

An ambitious security protocol launched by the Department of Economic Opportunity is aimed to help protect claimants in Florida.

Stephanie Lindgren had been waiting since April of last year to get a claimant ID number issued by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity so she could collect state and federal unemployment benefits of more than $30,000.

A Port St. Lucie man’s five-month battle to recoup more than $11,000 in state and federal unemployment benefits may finally be resolved this week, thanks to the Department of Economic Opportunity and News 6.

The now infamous DEO PIN reset debacle was successfully addressed and updated this week; however, the software remedy saw thousands of people still unable to apply for weekly benefits because their state unemployment accounts were locked and, in some cases, their identifications needed to be verified again.

The Department of Economic Opportunity starts the first wave of PIN reset instructions to claimants stuck in the PIN reset loop.

Thousands of state unemployment accounts were locked without warning this week in a move to counter a potential data breach.

A leasing agent handling properties near the UCF campus has been waiting three months to collect unemployment benefits after a cyber thief collected state benefits in her name while she was still working.

The Department of Economic Opportunity says there was a data security incident involving potentially fraudulent activity connected to claimant accounts within the Reemployment Assistance Claims and Benefits Information System, commonly known as CONNECT.

Anna Maria Brown’s unemployment benefits have been stuck in “pending status” because a five-day job with a Miami pet clinic last October triggered a returned to work status from the Department of Economic Opportunity.

Kelly Salter’s decision to undergo knee replacement surgery was supposed to coincide with a scheduled layoff from her kitchen supervisor job at Rollins College.

Lisa and David Fontana never imagined they would be dependent on state unemployment benefits when they moved to the Orlando area from Chicago in 2020.

The couple told News 6 there were no problems with their DEO accounts until they “recertified.”

A Florida graduate was convinced his missing federal benefits check worth more than $4,000 dollars would never be found after it had been processed but unaccounted for since June 9, 2020.

News 6 has uncovered a plot to steal personal information from residents who are trying to obtain state unemployment benefits.

On Monday, Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity announced the state will be withdrawing from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program.

Tamika Nixon is convinced she is a victim of inaccurate business records.

Francisco Mojica admits he never would have survived the past four months without the financial help of his mother because he had no access to state or federal unemployment benefits.

Navarro had been fighting to get access to thousands of dollars in state and federal benefits since November 2020.

A single mom facing divorce and mounting bills is in the middle of six-month stalemate with the Department of Economic Opportunity to receive $6,700 in back unemployment benefits. Jada Jordan, a physical therapist assistant, told News 6 she lost her job in July 2020 but was deemed ineligible for unemployment benefits until October 2020 because her salary did not meet the minimum earned in the previous quarter. “I have not gotten one payment,” a frustrated Jordan said. Even though her DEO account status shows it is active-eligible, Jordan has never received the benefits to which she is entitled. News 6 presented Jordan’s unemployment documents to the DEO office in Tallahassee this week.

The state Department of Economic Opportunity reported Monday that Florida’s unemployment rate decreased to 4.8 percent in January, down 0.3 percentage points from a revised December rate. AdFlorida initially reported its December unemployment rate at 6.1 percent, but that number was subsequently revised to 5.1 percent. “But towards the end of the year and continuing in January, we’ve seen people coming back into the labor force. The Jacksonville metropolitan area was at 4.4 percent, and the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area was at 4.6 percent. The statewide 4.8 percent unemployment rate is seasonally adjusted, while the local rates are not.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Alicia Warren and Alexandra Marshall blame the Department of Economic Opportunity for leaving their families without thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits. Warren, a single mother of three, told News 6 she earned about $184 at a temporary job with Manpower USA only to lose the job after a week. “I just got a letter (from DEO) saying, ‘Congratulations on returning to work,’” Warren said. “I thought, Are you kidding me?’”Finding work to fit her children’s schedule has been a challenge for the Orlando resident. Hamrick said holding onto to a full-time job with benefits will be difficult despite Florida’s easing jobless claims.

When the Department of Economic Opportunity asked Cherryl Faye to return the $3,300 unemployment benefits she received last year she said she started to panic. AdIn a second letter written in August the DEO presented a different monetary summary that showed Faye earned no wages in 2019. Despite the conclusion, Faye was told she would still have to appeal the decision to avoid going to court or collections. A few days later, Faye was contacted by a DEO employee who helped her apply for PEUC benefits. News 6 and the DEO found she is eligible for 18 weeks of state unemployment benefits she never collected.

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Denisse Higgins-Tuffley says her business as a courtroom analyst for insurance defense cases went from flourishing to flat when COVID-19 forced courts to shut down last year. When her business came to a halt, she told News 6 she applied for unemployment benefits, complete with 1099 tax forms. “I have a spreadsheet and it looks like they owe me $14,000,” the frustrated courtroom analyst said. She told News 6 the DEO needs a separate website to accommodate self-employed workers who find themselves out of work and in need of weekly benefits. The DEO is usually able to update accounts presented by News 6 in five business days.

WINTER PARK, Fla. – Bonnie Nasset, 70, of Winter Park, had been waiting for jobless benefits since July despite being told her Department of Economic Opportunity unemployment account was active and eligible. “They’re ignoring me!”The semi-retired gig worker was taking temporary jobs in Orange County for Kelly Services in 2019 and the start of 2020. | Fifth-largest lotto jackpot up for grabs]However, in the middle of March 2020, the job opportunities stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Everything (on the DEO account) says ‘hold, hold, hold.’”Nasset said she refused to give up and turned to News 6 as her last hope. This would never have happened w/o your effort.”If you have an unemployment issue email: makeendsmeet@wkmg.com or mholfeld@wkmg.com

“But now I’m in some kind of technical error loop.”Jernigan was furloughed from her transport coordinator position with Lux2 Transfer in Merritt Island in March but was unable to receive unemployment benefits until June. “We have sent Ms. Jernigan’s information to our Reemployment Assistance team so that they can take a look into her account,” Landrum said. Landrum said each new quarter provides the “opportunity to reapply for benefits” on a quarterly basis, following federal guidance. [MAKE ENDS MEET: News 6 debuts initiative to provide budget guidance for viewers]According to Landrum, the DEO must determine if individuals who are currently receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) are ineligible for state Reemployment Assistance benefits. If you have an unemployment benefits issue, email News 6 investigator Mike Holfeld at makeendsmeet@wkmg.com.

“The last time I was paid (by the Department of Economic Opportunity) was the week of July 5 to July 11,” she said. News 6 found the DEO website had the mother of two listed as having been discharged from BR Interviewing . When COVID-19 hit she was furloughed after just one month on the job. The Department has put together this video to help claimants navigate their CONNECT inbox. If you have an unemployment benefits issue send an email with a copy of your DEO account to makenedsmeet@wkmg.com

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Stephan Golub never imagined a job application with the Census Bureau would leave him ineligible for unemployment assistance from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity for 11 weeks. He applied for the position to earn extra money but because of COVID-19 the hiring process was frozen until August. “I was on their [Census Bureau] files to work for them but never did,” Golub said. Golub presented Census Bureau records that confirm he was deemed ineligible for the job because his residency had changed from Orange to Seminole County. The agency had Golub listed as “returned to work” leaving his current unemployment benefits claim of 11 weeks or $1,500 in payments on hold.

PALM COAST, Fla. – Jennifer Perry has seen her Palm Coast condominium evolve from a five-star Airbnb to a reservation casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Before COVID, I was 100% booked,” Perry told News 6. [READ MORE: News 6, DEO help single mom unlock 12 weeks of unemployment benefits | News 6, DEO unlock unemployment account ‘suspended’ for 17 weeks]“I’ve lowered my prices probably 20-30%,” Perry said. Perry told News 6 she has been waiting seven months for some sort of financial relief. "It’s not even a matter of frustration, I’m worn the heck down.”DEO Press Secretary Paige Landrum said Perry’s case is unique.

MARION COUNTY, Fla. – Casey Thorner operated a prosperous home cleaning service in Marion County until COVID-19 created a wave of cancellations and forced her to file for unemployment benefits with the Department of Economic Opportunity. “It was like my whole world shut down,” Thorner told News 6 from her Ocala home. “I filled out my (unemployment) application, obviously I put this is how much I made,” she said. News 6 presented the records to the DEO’s Tallahassee office last week in an attempt to move the account review along. "There are great people at the DEO just as frustrated as we are, Thorner told News 6.

When Kimberly Kleckly and Dominique Fusco emailed News 6 for help to secure unemployment benefits from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity they had already been waiting 13 weeks to receive financial relief. Both women had DEO unemployment CONNECT accounts that were active, eligible and on hold. Kleckly said she reported the new job to the DEO which suspended her benefits and placed her account on hold. Meanwhile, Dominque Fusco lost her Pensacola apartment to Hurricane Sally on Sept. 16 adding to the stress of waiting for unemployment benefits. “I can find a place to live now,10,000 pounds have been lifted from my shoulders.”If you have an unemployment benefits problem email us at makeendsmeet@wkmg.com

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Department of Economic Opportunity will be temporarily taking down the online portal where Floridians can apply for unemployment benefits in order to fix some errors that have been causing glitches for users. The Connect system will be unavailable beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday until 8 a.m. Thursday. [TRENDING: Trump supporter hit girl in face, deputies say | This Central Fla. city is the best place to live | Were 3 Orlando cops poisoned?] Records show that more than four million claims have been filed between then and now, nearly 3.8 million of which have been paid out. If users still have trouble accessing the Connect portal after it returns online Thursday, they’re asked to call the customer service center at 833-FL-APPLY.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Jack Stroming could be the face of a state unemployment benefits tale that has been repeated dozens of times since job layoffs began back in early March. “I’ve done this for 31 years,” the frustrated live events manager said from his South Florida home. After eight weeks of checks paid through the federal paycheck protection program, Stroming was forced to tap every resource he had to make ends meet. On June 6 the PPP benefits ran out but his application for unemployment benefits was caught in a DEO delay. If an employer is participating in the Paycheck Protection Program, this may affect claimants' eligibility for state or federal Reemployment Assistance programs.”If you have an unemployment benefits issue email us at makeendsmeet@wkmg.com.

For 17 weeks, Eugene Rosenquest waited for some response from the Department of Economic Opportunity to issue much needed unemployment benefits. He said his DEO account had been suspended after an apparent mix up that left the account claim status suspended and the monetary status pending. On Thursday, Landrum said Rosenquest’s account was already under review. News 6 reviewed his DEO account and confirmed the funds were issued on Thursday. If you have an unemployment benefits issue, email us at makeendsmeet@wkmg.com

News 6, DEO unlock unemployment account ‘suspended’ for 17 weeksPublished: September 18, 2020, 7:27 pmFor 17 weeks, Eugene Rosenquest waited for some response from the Department of Economic Opportunity to issue much needed unemployment benefits.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Joshua Arroyo is a chef without a job, unemployment benefits or his own place to live and he blames the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity for his predicament. The 30-year-old Ocoee man was furloughed from his job as executive chef at the Wyndham Hotel on March 20 and said he filed for unemployment benefits the same day. Arroyo said he called the Department of Economic Opportunity to “notify them” that he had found employment and was told to keep the last $256 unemployment payment. State Sen. Linda Stewart (Orlando-D) has been making trips to Tallahassee every two weeks to personally deliver unemployment claims to the DEO office for constituents like Arroyo who are still waiting for their unemployment benefits. In Joshua Arroyo’s case, the DEO team was able to issue a payment but an issue prompted a delay on additional checks.

The first private call center contracted by the state of Florida in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to handle unemployment assistance inquiries answered just 8.3% of the calls it received in June, records show. According to the contract, DEO reserved the right to increase or decrease the number of calls above or below the 10,000 call estimate. As of August 20, more than 6,200 customer service representatives have been trained to assist individuals seeking additional information about their reemployment assistance claim, said Landrum. Average wait times for the Reemployment Assistance Customer Service Center are less than 25 minutes, and wait times continue to decrease, Landrum said. The answer rate in the Customer Service Centers increases weekly.The Department continues to issue proactive correspondence to claimants to ensure it maintains its reputation of transparency and to help decrease demand for Customer Service Representatives, Landrum added.

The DEO told her a question regarding possible fraud triggered a rejection for her first application for benefits in March. She said she was told to file again and was approved for state reemployment benefits but denied Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). Her DEO unemployment claims sheet confirms she started receiving state and federal jobless benefits on June 6. DEO press secretary Paige Landrum said because Black was eligible for state jobless benefits, the PUA benefits were no longer available to her. According to the DEO reemployment assistance claims dashboard, an estimated 651,000 claims are still listed as ineligible but 95%of Florida’s jobless claims have been paid.

The Busch Gardens restaurant supervisor told News 6 the DEO notice indicated there were some issues that suggested she might not be eligible after all. When she called the DEO to get some answers, she said the conversation with the woman checking her account was very confusing. ”I said, ‘I just received two checks from you guys.‘”Brannon’s W2 confirms she has been an employee with Busch Gardens and is eligible for unemployment benefits. The single mom of a 17-year-old boy said she has worked for Busch Gardens for “nearly 23 years” and was surprised to see a list of employers and a Social Security number that didn’t match her personal information. Brannon’s account was locked due to duplicate claims (one with a wrong social security number), but our team has been in contact with her and we have resolved her issue,” Landrum wrote.

“We’re going to continue to have this problem day after day, week after week,” the veteran lawmaker said before her latest drive to the capitol. “This is not going to go away, like COVID-19 it’s not leaving.”Stewart along with State Sen David Simmons, State Sen. Victor Torres and State Rep. Anna Eskamani have worked with News 6 to open channels with the DEO to review dozens of cases that have been delayed for 10 weeks or more. “There’s very few people (in the DEO) who have the ability to make those changes,” a frustrated Stewart said. If you have an unemployment benefits issue fill out the form below and email it to makeendsmeet@wkmg.comWe will get it to the DEO through your state representatives’ office. Application status:Have you received any money, if yes, have you received both state and federal?

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. A company hired by the state to handle phone calls from jobless Floridians seeking unemployment benefits answered less than half the calls it received over a two-month period, records obtained by News 6 show. Titan Technologies handled 41% of the 3.9 million phone calls DEO transferred to the company's agents between April 6 and June 8, state records show. On May 18 alone, DEO received about a million phone calls, according to Satter. About a quarter of those calls were routed to Titan Technologies on that date, state records show. Nearly 2,000 agents working for Titan Technologies answered almost 32,500 phone calls on May 18, records indicate, amounting to about 15% of the calls offered to the company that day.

LAKE EOLA, Fla. – Over a dozen protesters gathered in Lake Eola Park Wednesday to bring attention to delays in jobless benefits from the state's unemployment system. The rally was part of the “Fix It DEO” day, which brought together unemployed workers in Orlando, Tampa and Tallahassee. Jennifer Kane drove from Melbourne to attend the protest and said she's been waiting for more than 12 weeks for jobless benefits. "People are struggling and they need the money and they need the money now," she said. State Sen. Linda Stewart of Orlando is meeting with the Governor’s staff Wednesday to talk about the people still waiting for benefits.

Hundreds of unemployed workers demanding change for DEO benefits systemPublished: June 9, 2020, 6:30 pmWednesday will be “Fix It DEO” day in Orlando, Tampa, and Tallahassee for Fix-It Florida, a grassroots group fighting to bring attention to the delays in state’s jobless benefits for hundreds of unemployed Florida workers.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is reminding applicants to not post personal information on social media showing their claimant profile. The DEO said never post the following items on social media:Screenshots with personal identifying numbersSocial security numberAccount or claimant numbersScreenshots of accountsEmail conversations with personal information pictures of identifying documentsFor your safety, please remember to never to post screen shots of any type of account, or of your claimant profile that have identifying personal information like account numbers, addresses, etc. pic.twitter.com/wiVESEoOVf Florida DEO (@FLDEO) June 2, 2020This is not the only reminder the DEO posted on Tuesday. The DEO also said Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation is now available at this link. This program provides up to 13 weeks of benefits to a claimant who has exhausted their reemployment assistance benefits, according to the DEO.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida agency that handles unemployment benefits said they recently had a “data security incident” that may have compromised information from Floridians seeking unemployment. The incident exposed full names and Social Security numbers of some people who have applied for unemployment benefits, according to the Department of Economic Opportunity. The Department of Economic Opportunity said they had to deal with a data security incident associated with reemployment assistance claims, otherwise known as unemployment benefits, according to the DEO. When people apply for unemployment benefits they must include personal information, including names, addresses, and social security numbers. How did the security incident happen?

Jobless Floridians wishing to receive unemployment benefits must now log on to the state’s unemployment website every two weeks to affirm they are still unemployed, a requirement that has some fearing a repeat of computer problems that originally plagued the benefit application process. To minimize the number of users overloading the state’s unemployment computer system called CONNECT, last month Gov. Ron DeSantis temporarily eliminated a requirement that claimants must regularly return to the website to verify their employment status. Even though Lewis has received several unemployment benefit payments, she is concerned that issues with the state website will make it harder for her to collect future payments. Lewis is concerned that potential computer problems will hurt jobless Floridians and make it difficult for the state employees who are trying to distribute payments.

According to the DEO, beginning this week, people must log into the Florida unemployment website CONNECT to claim their weeks. Claimants have until May 17 to claim the current week which began Sunday after that they will need to sign into CONNECT every two weeks to claim their payments. This is a step-by-step guide showing how to claim weeks in the DEO system. Tomorrow beginning at 8am, claimants will be able to access the CONNECT system to claim their weeks. Those who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits are still waiting for relief from the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or PEUC, which provides assistance to those individuals.