Top three unemployment system issues plaguing jobless in SWFL, explained

UPDATE: The DEO announced June 4 that the chat feature is no longer available.

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Nearly a year into the pandemic, issues continue to plague jobless people across the state.

Despite doing exactly what the Department of Economic Opportunity recommends, people like Janna Glassberg are hitting roadblocks. A performer, she’s been unemployed since last March.

“Right from the beginning, it was bad,” Glassberg said. “The computers, the system, the glitches, the getting kicked out, not getting get being able to get in. It could take you eight hours to get logged on, and then you get kicked out, or being kicked back and forth, trying to get through the application.”

Now she and many others are facing new problems with the system.

WINK News enlisted the help of an expert to breakdown the most common issues you’re facing right now, and the ways around them.

1) CAN’T GET YOUR 1099-G

Glassberg says she’s tried everything to get access to her 1099-G form, which is necessary for unemployed people to file their taxes.

LINKS: How to Access Your 1099 Forms According to the DEO | DEO’s 1099-G Frequently Asked Questions

“Electronically is a no-go for me because one, I can’t open anything on their site. And I don’t have a computer printer at home,” Glassberg said. “So I asked for mail, never received anything by mail.”

And Glassberg is not alone. Miami-based unemployment activist Vanessa Brito says she’s heard from thousands of people having trouble with this.

But she says she’s found workarounds.