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The Reemployment Assistance Program (RAP) provides temporary benefits to qualified workers who
are out of work through no fault of their own. Any worker in an Employee/Employer relationship is eligible
to file for benefits (Salaried and OPS).
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Human Resources within the Justice Administrative Commission (JAC) is charged with the
responsibility of receiving claims filed with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO)
by employees who are no longer employed with JAC and the offices we administratively serve. Once
the claims are received, HR forwards them to the appropriate office to respond to DEO. The office
has 20 calendar days from the date of the claim to file a response. In responding to these claims,
the office should consider the relevant facts of the Claimant's separation, and fashion an appropriate
response to DEO on the initial claim form. Once a response is filed with DEO, that office is ultimately
responsible in determining whether to approve or deny benefits as payable to the claimant based
on the information provided by both the claimant and the office.
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Effective July 1, 2016, JAC and the offices we administratively serve gained access to the statewide RAP online system called CONNECT. This gives the circuits the ability to receive forms and respond online. The circuits will need to work directly with DEO in establishing a username and password for their account. You can do that by emailing Keita Bryant at Keita.Bryant@deo.myflorida.com. JAC will continue to forward any documents we receive from DEO to the appropriate circuit.
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If you have questions about the process or determinations, please contact Monica Thomas at Monica.Thomas@justiceadmin.org or Jamie Johnson at Jamie.Johnson@justiceadmin.org.
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Reemployment Assistance Information
CONNECT Information and Training
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Who is eligible to receive Reemployment Assistance Benefits?
All unemployed workers covered under the Florida Reemployment Assistance Law can receive weekly benefits if eligible and are fully qualified.
DEO must determine the eligibility of the claim; therefore, please respond promptly to all DEO requests in a timely manner.
Are OPS employees eligible for RA benefits and if so, why?
OPS employees can receive weekly benefits if eligible and are fully qualified. It is a fact that they are considered a temporary employee and are usually hired for a certain period, but at the end of their employment the office would be considered the moving party. The only time an OPS employee is not eligible is if they were terminated for misconduct and if they left the office voluntarily.
How is it possible that a current employee is able to receive RA benefits?
If an individual is working part-time and is earning below their determined maximum weekly benefit amount, which could be up to $275.00, than they are eligible to receive the difference between what they earn and the maximum benefit amount.
(For example, if a current employee is working 20 hours a week, earns $10 an hour, and files for unemployment they could be eligible for a benefit from RA of $75.00 per week.)
According to RA, this is called Partial Unemployment. It is the responsibility of the claimant to file weekly earnings and for DEO to monitor those earnings.
Any employee who is working part-time and earns $275.00 or more per week would not be eligible.
(Note: if an employee works 40 hours a week and does not earn at least $275.00 a week is not eligible for RA because they are working fulltime.)
When an employee retires from the state and receives a retirement benefit, can they also receive RA benefits?
Retirees are disqualified from RA benefits if the retirees benefit is more than the determined maximum weekly benefit amount of the claim (if the retiree weekly benefit amount is over $275.00 than they are not eligible for a weekly RA benefit). If the retiree receives a RA benefit less than the determined maximum benefit then they can receive a benefit if determined otherwise eligible and fully qualified.
What happens when an employer wins an appeal and the claimant was already receiving a benefit from RA? Is the office immediately reimbursed?
Any benefits received for which a claimant was not entitled are overpayments and subject to recovery.
RA request the claimant to payback 10% of the overpayment each month until their debt is paid in full to RA. They do not require it.
Once RA begins to receive installments of the overpayment, they will record it on the next scheduled Quarterly Invoice. This process could take multiple invoices before all of the overpayment is credited to the offices’s account.
Why is the office being charged RA benefits if they are not the last employer and they separated from them voluntarily?
When a claimant files a claim DEO first determines who the last employer was, and then they determine the base period, and then determine how many employers fell within that claimant’s base period.
If it is determined that we are not the last employer then DEO will base their decision on the circumstances as to why they separated from that employer.
If it is determined, that the claimant should receive benefits then we would be responsible for a percentage of the claim even if they left us voluntarily or for misconduct.
