Posted on 04/25/2020 10:07:04 AM PDT by aimhigh
State unemployment staffers are so busy, the Cuomo administration is asking City University of New York employees and civil servants from other agencies to help with the deluge of paperwork and callbacks.
The beleaguered state Department of Labor needs additional staff to process some of the unemployment applications filed by tens of thousands of people suddenly out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic . .
There are now 3,000 people working on the phones and processing applications seven days a week, he added. That’s up from the just 400 representatives in place before the health crisis.
Penny Errico-Nagar, 62, who worked in a hair salon, has been trying to file for unemployment since March 16. The Manhattan resident said she reached a state representative on March 20, who told her to fax her 1099 tax statement to the Department of Labor. She never got confirmation the agency received it but was then told to fill out a federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance application. That filing is still pending, she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at wtvy.com ...
Alabama
https://www.wtvy.com/content/news/49-of-unemployment-claims-paid-ADOL-working-to-speed-up-processing-569924071.html
49% of unemployment claims paid, ADOL working to speed-up processing. Tens of thousands of Alabamians have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus crisis, leading to more applications for unemployment benefits in one month than in all last year. As of Wednesday evening, half of those people have received their checks.
“I understand the other half who have not gotten paid are not going to be happy with that statistic,” said Tara Hutchison, Communications Director, Alabama Department of Labor (ADOL). That statistic is an increase from Monday, when ADOL Secretary Fitzgerald Washington said only 40% of claims had been processed and paid.
Hawaii
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/04/25/editorial/our-view/editorial-unemployed-pay-the-price-for-hawaiis-failure-to-upgrade-it/
In a staggering plunge from best in the nation to worst, Hawaii’s once-vaunted joblessness rate of about 2.1% has now hit 37%. Yes, 1 out of 3 Hawaii workers is now out of work — many temporarily as the coronavirus shutdown persists, but many others, permanently. This collective pain of unemployment has been exacerbated by the state’s woefully antiquated computer system that has buckled badly under the weight of some 250,000 jobless claims since March 1.
State Labor Director Scott Murakami inherited the archaic system, and is struggling to cobble together solutions. But the past weeks have revealed more fits than starts, as evidenced by the many desperate stories of people still waiting for their unemployment checks a month after filing.
Florida
https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-in-florida-april-25-2020/67-e23c8038-7d62-4923-b1dc-1aad9f1003d2
For Floridians who’ve struggled to file unemployment claims, the state website had an unwelcome message Friday morning:
“[The website] CONNECT is currently processing payments. We apologize for the inconvenience. CONNECT will be available at 8:00 a.m Monday, April 27.”
The website has been a highly publicized disaster since newly unemployed Floridians began flooding the filing portal in March. Some have spent as many hours trying to log into the system they have missed on the job. More than 1.7 million claims have been filed since March 15, and just 108,000 claims have been paid – under 16 percent.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has called the system “cumbersome” and the state’s initial response “unacceptable.” He made several public efforts to increase server capacity and improve the system’s functionality, which at times has required the system to be shut down overnight. But system shutdowns have increased frustration and the backlog of people struggling to file claims.
Wisconsin
https://www.nbc15.com/content/news/DWD-secretary-addresses-backlog-everyone-is-going-to-get-every-dollar-they-are-entitled-to-569935161.html
Since the beginning of March, DWD has received about 462,000 new initial claims, according to Frostman. Its call center received around 6 million calls last week, averaging about a million or more per day. Frostman said, when it comes to how long it will take benefits, it varies based on the type of claim. He said if people apply through the online portal accurately and there are no outstanding questions, things can be settled within two or three days. But with the backlog, that is not the case for many people.
Pennsylvania
https://gantdaily.com/2020/04/24/unresponsive-unreachable-unemployment-office-infuriates-pennsylvania-residents/
[S]ix weeks after Pennsylvania shuttered its economy amid the coronavirus pandemic, hundreds of thousands of state residents continue to struggle to collect unemployment compensation benefits. Legions of workers who have been laid off or furloughed say it remains impossible to reach the state’s unemployment compensation office: The phone lines are forever busy, the online services crash under the weight of demand and email communications with the system is unresponsive.
The level of frustration and anger among residents who have reached out to PennLive desperate for assistance or answers from state officials is palpable, particularly after state officials this week held a press conference vowing that response times have improved and that the backlog for pins had been resolved. “It did leave me with some unanswered questions and concerns about what Labor & Industry officials are telling Pennsylvanians,” said Jeremy Jordan, who has been trying to call the unemployment compensation office at the Department of Labor & Industry since April 13. He has had no success.
“When you call the phone number that is plastered all over the unemployment compensation website all you get is a busy signal, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.” said Jordan, an auto sales representative from Hummelstown. “A busy signal for over a week straight, so how exactly are they improving their response time to phone calls if no Pennsylvanian can call them?” Jordan emailed the unemployment compensation office on April 16 and was informed that the average response time was 17 days.
“I‘m just trying to stay positive,” said Angelita Wynn, who has tracked the number of calls she has placed to the unemployment compensation office. As of Thursday morning, Wynn had logged 760 calls.
Jordan’s experience is similar. Jordan said. “Now I get on the unemployment compensation website this morning and the average response time is now 21 calendar days!”
How will all of the PPP relief money affect these unemployment payments??
Hire the Americans that have been laid off, Fire current workers who cannot to it right.
What could go wrong??
“How will all of the PPP relief money affect these unemployment payments??”
If a company gets PPP, unemployment is voided out. Employers who get PPP are finding out their employees are ticked off because they get more with unemployment and the extra $600 week.
Had questions, so tried the new 800+ staffed hotline. Across 3 phones. Wait time 90 min; WHEN they call YOU back as ur queue number comes up as caller #1. Then, no one can answer questions BUT will xfer you to someone who can. Of course the xfer is really a disconnect, and start over. Great job, Gov, 800 new employees gets us this, vs simply being told call back later we’re taking no calls
DMV staff has all gone home, they can’t figure out how to send incoming calls to a house. But, getting paid. Maybe they can help Employment Security? Hell no.
Ca Edd dept. seems dead in the water
Yes, lets give unvetted folks all of our B/D, SS Number address etc.
What could go wrong?
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