The Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) must determine the eligibility of each claim. Please respond promptly to all DEO requests for information, as prompt and accurate information from employers is essential to the establishment of the claimant’s right to benefits. Your cooperation ensures benefits are paid to eligible individuals and withheld from ineligible individuals. Providing information in a prompt manner will help protect your RA tax rate.
When an reemployment assistance claim is filed, a Determination Notice of Reemployment Assistance Claim Filed, Form UCB-412, is mailed to all “base period” employers and to any employers subsequent to the “base period.” The “base period” is defined as the first four of the last five completed quarters preceding the date that the claim is filed. If you have paid wages to the claimant in the base period, the Form UCB-412 will show the claimant’s name, Social Security Number, the claimant’s weekly benefit amount, the maximum available credits that may be paid in benefits and the percentage of benefits potentially chargeable to the employer’s reemployment tax account.
You may respond online or by mail or fax to the address / fax number printed on the back side of the UCB-412.
Employers must respond within 20 days of the mailing date of the Form UCB-412 to be eligible for relief from benefit charges that may result from the claim. Therefore, when you receive a Form UCB-412, you should submit a reply within 20 calendar days from the mailing date printed on the form in order to protect your account from unnecessary benefit charges.
It is important for you to provide detailed information when responding to the Form UCB-412. Your statement should always contain important facts such as the date the worker left the job or the date the worker was discharged. Please provide dates, times and places that incidents occurred which led to the individual’s termination as accurately as your records permit. Information useful in determining eligibility includes the names of witnesses and the dates and content of performance deficiencies issued to the worker, whether verbal or written; references to company rules and regulations, union contacts, commission agreements; and any other pertinent documents that would support the finding that the individual was discharged for misconduct connected with the work. Your information should include the exact reason or final incident that caused the claimant’s separation. In the absence of information from the employer, the individual’s eligibility will be based on the claimant’s statement and all other information available at that time.
Determinations that address benefit qualification and disqualification, eligibility and ineligibility, or the chargeability of an employer’s account for benefit payments are generally issued on the Form UCB-45. When a determination is issued, all parties affected by the determination receive a copy. If the employer or former employee disagrees with the determination, an appeal requesting a formal telephone hearing before an appeals referee may be requested. The request must be made within 20 days from the mailing date of the determination. Instructions for filing an appeal are contained on the Form UCB-45 and are provided above in the category “Appeals.”
Forms mailed by DEO are directed to the employer’s address on file with the Florida Department of Revenue (DOR) for reemployment tax purposes. It is therefore imperative that you ensure that DOR has your correct business address in its records. The Department of Revenue can accept more than one address for your Reemployment Assistance Program mailings. If you would prefer that your reemployment assistance claims notices and determinations be mailed to an address different than your primary mailing address or tax address, DOR can accommodate your request. However, it is your responsibility to maintain your correct address with DOR.