Each tax return is processed separately. It is not automatic that whatever happened to 2024 will also happen to 2023.
If you filed your 2023 tax return back in 2024, and never received the refund, you should contact the IRS to initiate a trace.
If you filed your 2023 tax return recently in 2025, and you asked for direct deposit, and it didn't clear, then the IRS should mail a paper check in 4 weeks. If it is past that date, you again need to contact the IRS and request a trace.
