STATEWIDE — A new analysis from the Associated Press shows Florida ranks at or near the bottom of all 50 states when it comes to the speed of processing unemployment claims.
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The AP analysis of the data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows nearly seven out of eight Floridians who managed to file claims during a three-week period from mid-March to early April were still waiting to have those claims processed.
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One claim filer says people who filed after him are getting checks, leaving him wondering if he got lost in the system.
“Now that people two weeks, I think that’s at least two weeks ahead of me are getting approved, I’m worried – I’m worried for my own sake and for people who filed along with me,” said Tyler Menard.
Florida state leaders blame the slow claims on an overwhelming amount of claims all at once.
But the state’s online filing portal crashed right after it opened several years ago, and a state audit just last year showed numerous problems with the system still existed.
For weeks, Spectrum News 13 has been checking into issues going with the state’s unemployment system.