Florida Unemployment Fact-Finding Questionnaire — What to Expect and How to Respond

What Triggers a Fact-Finding Review

When you file a Reemployment Assistance claim, FloridaCommerce sends a notice of claim to your most recent employer and employers whose records are liable for benefits under your monetary determination. Those employers have 14 days after the notice is mailed or delivered to respond.

If anything about your separation raises an eligibility question — you quit, you were fired, your employer contests the reason you left — FloridaCommerce opens a non-monetary fact-finding review. This is the state's process for determining whether you meet the conditions for benefits beyond just having enough wages.

Fact-finding is not a sign that something went wrong with your application. It is standard procedure whenever the separation circumstances are anything other than a straightforward layoff or reduction in force.

The Questionnaire

FloridaCommerce may ask you or your employer for information about a potential eligibility issue. Fact-finding forms sent to you appear on the Documents screen in Reconnect.

Complete the questionnaire by the due date shown on the form. If you miss it, the adjudicator makes a determination based on whatever evidence is available.

The questionnaire asks specific questions about your separation. For a quit, expect questions about why you left, whether you gave notice, what conditions were like, and whether you tried to resolve problems before resigning. For a termination, expect questions about what the employer said happened, whether you received warnings, and your side of the story.

How to Respond Effectively

Answer every question. Skipping questions or giving vague responses weakens your case. The adjudicator cannot fill in gaps on your behalf.

Be specific with dates and details. Instead of "my hours were cut," write "on March 15, 2026, my manager reduced my schedule from 40 hours per week to 15 hours per week without prior notice."

Attach documentation. Upload to Reconnect anything that supports your answers: emails, text messages, written warnings you received, complaints you filed, pay stubs showing reduced hours, photos of unsafe conditions, or your resignation letter.

Stick to the facts. The adjudicator is applying legal standards from the Florida Statutes — specifically Sections 443.091 and 443.101. Emotional appeals do not help. Factual, documented evidence does.

Do not contact your employer about their answers. The fact-finding process is designed to get both sides independently. Coordinating responses can create problems.

Employer Protests

Your employer may formally protest your claim, arguing that you were fired for misconduct or that you quit without good cause. Under Section 443.101(1)(a) of the Florida Statutes, discharge for misconduct connected with work can disqualify you from benefits. In a discharge case, the employer bears the burden of proving misconduct by a preponderance of the evidence.

A single simple mistake or poor performance is not automatically misconduct. The statute also includes carelessness or negligence that manifests culpability or wrongful intent, or shows intentional and substantial disregard, and certain repeated or unapproved absences after written warnings.

If the employer does not respond to the questionnaire within the deadline, FloridaCommerce makes its determination from the information available; the lack of an employer response does not automatically decide the issue in your favor.

The Notice of Determination

After reviewing the information gathered and any submitted evidence, the adjudicator issues a Notice of Determination. This document states whether you are eligible or disqualified, the legal basis for the decision, and the specific statutory sections that apply.

The notice is available in Reconnect and is sent using your selected communication method. Read it carefully — it tells you exactly why the decision went the way it did.

If you are found eligible, benefits begin (or resume) for the claimed weeks. If you are disqualified, you have 20 days after the notice is mailed, or after it is delivered if it is not mailed, to file an appeal. The appeal goes to a telephonic hearing before an Appeals Referee, where you can present additional evidence and testimony.

Keep Certifying During Fact-Finding

While the fact-finding review is underway, continue your biweekly certifications in Reconnect. If the determination is eventually in your favor, only weeks you actually certified for can be paid retroactively. Weeks you skipped are forfeited.

The Florida Unemployment Claim Guide covers the full adjudication process, including how to prepare for each type of separation scenario and what to include in your fact-finding responses.

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