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TRUST FUND HAS $400 MILLION IN THE BANK TO PAY BENEFITS BUT WHILE THE BALANCES IN EVERY OTHER STATE HAVE DROPPED, IN FLORIDA AND ONLY FLORIDA, THE FUND IS TAKING IN MORE MONEY THAN IT IS PAYING OUT. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE OUT OF WORK AND YOU WOULD EXPECT THE TRUST FUND WOULD BE DROPPING AS THE STATE PAYS OUT JOBLESS BENEFITS. WHAT WE FOUND OUT THE OPPOSITE. >> FLORIDA HAS NOT BEEN PAYING BENEFITS. BOB: THE MONEY CAN ONLY BE USED TO PAY JOBLESS BENEFITS. WE COME THROUGH THE MOST RECENT U.S. TREASURY DATA AND IN ALL 50 STATES, THE BALANCES WERE ALL DOWN, EXCEPT FOR FLORIDA. WE STARTED APRIL WITH OVER FOR BILLY -- $4 BILLION IN THE BANK. IN APRIL, IT JUMPED UP $13 MILLION. CALIFORNIA IS DOWN $300 MILLION. TEXAS, $282 MILLION. NEW YORK IS DOWN $862 MILLION. MICHELE EVERMORE WITH THE NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT LAW PROJECT SAYS IN THIS CRISIS THE FUNDS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE GETTING DEPLETED. >> EVERY OTHER STATE HAS SPENT MONEY PAYING OUT BENEFITS. AND SO THEIR TRUST FUNDS HAVE DRPPED. THAT'S THE POINT OF THE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE TRUST FUND. BOB: SHE BELIEVES THE REASON IS SIMPLE. FLORIDA IS STILL COLLECTING MONEY FROM BUSINESSES THAT REMAIN OPEN WHILE THE STATE’S UNEMPLOYMENT SYSTEM, INCLUDING ITS CLUNKY AT BEST CONNECT WEBSITE, MAKES IT HARD FOR PEOPLE TO APPLY FOR BENEFITS, SOME WHO ARE ABLE TO EVENTUALLY APPLY DON’T KNOW IF THEY WILL EVER GET MONEY. STEWART: THE STATE DID RELEASE NUMBERS TODAY SHOWING IT’S GETTING BETTER AT MAKING THE PAYMENTS. THEY SAY 94,000 PEOPLE HAVE RECEIVED UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS NOW, UP FROM ABOUT 40,000 YESTERDAY. OF COURSE, WESH 2 HAS YOU COVERED WHEN IT COMES TO NAVIGATING UNEMPLOYMENT. HEAD TO WESH

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Every state in the nation has seen their unemployment trust fund balance drop this month, except Florida. Data from the United States Treasury Department shows that the unemployment trust fund balances in every state in the U.S. dropped from April 1 through April 16. But in Florida, unemployment fund took in more money than it paid out. Florida's unemployment trust fund began the month of April with a balance of $4,076,442,840. Florida slowest state in US to process unemployment claimsBy April 16, the balance had increased to $4,090,236,836. That's a jump of more than $13 million, at a time when one would expect the fund to be dwindling from jobless benefits payments to hundreds of thousands out of work. The unemployment trust funds get money from a tax paid by employers and can only be used to pay jobless benefits. Data from the U.S. Treasury of the funds in all 50 states shows that the balances had decreased everywhere, except Florida. While Florida’s balance went up $13 million, California’s went down $300 million, Texas down $282 million and New York’s down $862 million. Michele Evermore, an analyst with the National Employment Law Project said that in a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic, the funds are supposed to be getting depleted.“Every other state has spent money, paying out benefits. And so their trust funds have dropped. That’s the point of the unemployment insurance trust fund,” Evermore said.She believes the reason for Florida’s increase balance has everything to do with its clunky unemployment system. Florida is still collecting money from businesses that remain open while the state's unemployment system makes it hard for people to apply for benefits. Some people who have only recently been able to apply, like Karen Clubine, of Orlando, have missed out on previous week's payments and don’t know if they’ll ever get the money.“I’m assuming, if I’m having this problem, there’s got to be many other people having the same problem too,” Clubine said.