FL Governor Suspends Collection Of Unemployment Overpayments

TALLAHASSEE, FL — If the state accidentally gave you too much money in your unemployment check, don't sweat it. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has called off the collection agencies.

In a letter to Department of Economic Opportunity Secretary Dane Eagle, DeSantis said he is deferring all referrals to collection agencies for overpayments given to unemployment recipients between March 1, 2020, and Sept. 4, 2021. for state Reemployment Assistance benefits from March 1, 2020, through Sept. 4, 2021.

This doesn't include those people who set out to intentionally defraud the state. Eagle said the state will still investigate fraudulent overpayments and hold "bad actors" accountable for trying to cheat the government.

“As Florida’s strong economic recovery continues under Gov. DeSantis’ leadership, DEO is focused on encouraging Floridians to return to the workforce and helping employers attract job seekers to continue fueling the state’s economic growth,” Eagle said.

He said the announcement "affirms the governor’s commitment to a compassionate and graceful approach to help Floridians elevate above avoidable setbacks in their personal economic recoveries following the pandemic."

During the first months of the pandemic when thousands of people lost their jobs due to business closures, the DEO was inundated with so many unemployment claims, it crashed the state's computer system.

In its effort to reduce the red tape and speed up the claims process, Eagle said many people were accidentally overpaid.

DeSantis' decision to call off the collection agencies came after thousands of unemployed Floridians received letters from the DEO telling them they owed the state money for overpayments. Both federal and state law requires the DEO to issue a Notice of Disqualification to unemployment recipients with overpayments.

Even though more than half of the Floridians who received notices paid the money back to the state, their cases were still turned over to collection agencies that hounded them for money they no longer owed and impacted their credit scores.

"The DEO understands how confusing and burdensome these federal and state requirements may be following the economic hardship experienced by claimants throughout the pandemic," Eagle said.

Therefore, he said the DEO is "implementing several proactive measures to continue relieving the frustration and confusion being experienced by claimants regarding federal and state overpayment issues."

The DEO is encouraging claimants to check their Reemployment Assistance account frequently and take actions on their claim when prompted. In some instances, a claimant may be required to fill out an overpayment waiver, complete additional forms or file an appeal to reverse overpayments created on their account.

To assist claimants in navigating overpayments on their accounts, the DEO has made the following resources available:

• FloridaJobs.org/Overpayments - with easy-to-understand information and resources on overpayments
• Reemployment Assistance Overpayments Guide for applying for an overpayment waiver
• Informational Flyers with helpful information on overpayments and overpayment waivers
• FloridaJobs.org/RAHelpCenter - Reemployment Assistance Help Center self-service paths for notice of disqualification, overpayment, and appeals assistance

For more information about Reemployment Assistance overpayments, click here.