Newly jobless Floridians seeking unemployment compensation and those wishing to continue receiving benefits must do so online under a slew of changes that kicked in Monday and which officials say will save the state $4.7 million a year.
Based on legislation passed earlier this year, the Agency for Workforce Innovation enacted a series of changes that also include a mandatory skills review and tougher eligibility requirements.
These changes were also included in legislation that reduced the maximum duration of unemployment benefits from 26 to 23 weeks and links future payouts to the unemployment rate.
The new law would reduce benefits once the unemployment rate dips below 10.5 percent, bottoming out at 12 weeks if the unemployment rate hits 5 percent.
