ORLANDO, Fla. — After weeks of anticipation, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity started accepting applications this week for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.

• Federal benefits under the CARES Act has a base of $600 a week
• Independent contractors, freelancers, gig workers qualify
• Not everyone sees federal assistance portal link on CONNECT site
• RELATED: Florida's Unemployment System: Your Questions Answered
• FLORIDA GOVERNMENT GUIDE: Contact Your State Lawmakers

• From Florida DEO: Reemployment Assistance Resource Guide | FL DEO Unemployment Site | Reemployment Assistance Dashboard

PUA provides federal assistance to Floridians who do not qualify for state benefits, such as those who are self-employed, gig workers, freelancers, and others.

The new challenge for many, however, is that not everyone appears to have access to sign up for PUA benefits, because a link does not appear when they sign into the state’s CONNECT system.

Applicants have to first be deemed "ineligible" before being allowed to apply for state benefits, an extra step for those who already know they only qualify for federal benefits. There is not any consistent timeline for processing claims.

“Why is the link not immediately there?” said Terri Cousins, a self-employed personal trainer.

Cousins has been out of work since mid-March when the center she has worked at full-time for 14 years as a vendor closed because of COVID-19.

In the time since losing her income and trying to apply for benefits, Cousins has seen no relief.

“Thousands of people like me, that by no fault of our own, are put out of business,” Cousins said. “We’ve done everything you asked us to do, we have no money left and they’re hanging on by a thread.”

Cousins said she feels state leaders are letting families down by not distributing benefits more quickly. She recounts the countless hours, days, and nights she has spent to no avail to apply and receive benefits.

“You told me to stay home, the government said close your doors, we did that,” Cousins said. “You said sit patiently and we’ll take care of you. We did that. You said fill out the information in the system. Did that. My check list is 110 percent complete. Your’s is a big fat zero. Pay the people and don’t wait another five weeks, because people aren’t going to be able to last.”

State leaders have said they’re working as quickly as possible to process claims and have worked to add extra staff. But many say it remains a difficult task to get answers from the agency in charge of unemployment claims.

The latest figures show unemployment claims growing in Florida and nationally. More than 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits in the past 6 weeks, including more than 916,000 Floridians.

Of those, more than 231,000 claims are still waiting to be processed. The state has paid 416,683 people some portions of state and/or federal benefits, with many say they are owed much more. The pressure continues to rise as many have missed rent payments, bills are stacking up, and a new month presents further financial burdens.

WalletHub listed Florida as Number 1 in the nation for the biggest increase in unemployment claims due to COVID-19. The website reports a 4,521 percent increase in jobless claims in Florida in April since the start of the COVID-19 crisis.

Compounding the confusion are the scores of people recently deemed "ineligible", yet remain adamant they qualify for state benefits.

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity told Spectrum News it is now looking into whether an error actually exists, but stops short of saying it is the result of a glitch or any sort.

FDEO is encouraging people who were deemed ineligible and/or applied for benefits prior to April 5 to reapply.

Individuals have to be deemed "ineligible" for state benefits before being allowed to be processed for federal benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.

A combination of state and federal benefits can provide eligible applicants upward of $875 per week, parsed out as $275 state benefits and $600 federal benefits each week.

Provisions within PUA also provide eligible applicants, who don’t qualify for state benefits, upward of $875 per week, but the entire PUA program is 100 percent federally funded. Noticeably more applicants receiving benefits through PUA instead of the state/federal programs provides a significant cost saving directly to the state of Florida.

Coming into the month of April 2020, the state of Florida had more than $4 billion in its unemployment trust fund, which is funded primarily by companies who pay into the system through a system of insurance.

Data from the U.S. Department of Treasury shows while trust funds in states like California and New York dropped dramatically in April 2020 as it continued to pay out billions of dollars in claims, Florida’s fund grew by several million dollars overall. The data is currently limited to the timeframe ending April 16.

Since March 15, FL DEO says it has paid out more than $240 million in state benefits and $339 million in federal benefits.

Of that, $194.6 million in state benefits have been paid between March 19 and April 29, while $324.9 million in federal benefits have been paid in the same time period.