A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Hundreds stand in line for hours this week to get resolutions to unemployment insurance claims


By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today

Hundreds of Kentuckians stood in line for hours on successive days this week trying to resolve unemployment insurance claims at the state Capitol.


According to figures released earlier this week by Gov. Andy Beshear, more than 52,000 had their cases held up for one reason or another from March, April and May. Although more than 1,100 had their claims resolved on Tuesday and Wednesday at a temporary office set up at the Capitol Education Center, many more still need to have their cases adjudicated.


In-person UI services moved for Thursday and Friday to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services Building, at 275 East Main Street in Frankfort, where they were operating from 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. (EDT) both days.

This was part of the line at the state Capitol on Thursday. (Photos by Robin Cornetet, Kentucky Today)


Among those trying for more than one day to see someone was Jacob Johnson from Albany, who filed for unemployment on March 27 after separating from his job on March 8. He says he sent emails and made calls but never heard back, so he went to the Capitol on Wednesday.


“I waited from 9 a. m. to 7 p. m. when the system shut down, so there were around 40 of us who weren’t able to get in,” he said. “Everyone was pretty upset, so they took cards and said we would be first today. They followed through on what they said.  They called us up and said we could go in first today, and we got everything settled.  All the backpay is on the way and I’m good to go.”


Johnson said he had a claim last year for about three weeks before getting a new job, and although his claim was still in the system from then, “The system got overwhelmed  and they kept telling me to re-file my claim. They told me once you file your claim more than once, it completely messes it up.”


He said he was an independent construction contractor, which was a new category eligible for unemployment.  Johnson added he was told his first check should go out in a day or two.


James Berry, a commercial fisherman from Paducah, who was laid off March 13, was also in his second day of applying and arrived at the CHFS building around 2:45 Thursday morning.  He says he made a mistake on his application.


“Apparently I accidently checked ‘yes’ for military instead of ‘no,’” Berry said.  “I did it on my phone so maybe I clicked the wrong thing and didn’t notice.  That’s what did it for me.”


After clearing the mistake, Berry said he should be able to start claiming on Friday, and the funds will be released that night. He says he was able to make it because his wife got a job doing COVID-19 screening and hopes to go back to work soon.


Sarah Slone of Radcliffe says she had tried both Tuesday and Wednesday, but the line was shut down by the time she got to Frankfort. So she arrived at 5 a. m. Thursday, trying to clear up her claim from April, and there were about 50 people already in line ahead of her.


Her circumstances were a little bit different. “I had injured my back, but when I was able to go back to work, COVID happened.  Childcare was closed and I had a 3-year-old.”


The reason her claim hadn’t been acted upon: “I answered a question wrong and then I couldn’t reach anybody.  I was asked if I was available for work and I said ‘no’ because of COVID-19.  It was a red flag, the way the system was set up.  They released six weeks of pay today.”


The rest, she said, should come as she files in the future.


Gary McFarland of Louisville says he has been out of work since March, and while he had started receiving benefits, they were suddenly cut off. “I had heard that they were going from 2,000 claims in a week to 12,000 per day, so you can see how they could fall behind there. I needed to speak to a live person, but they’re so backlogged you can’t get one.  That’s the frustration everybody is feeling.”


He said they finally resolved the situation and that he should start getting his money again by Tuesday or Wednesday.


House Republican Leaders issued a statement which, in part, said: “The unemployment insurance debacle is a disaster, and this week’s last-minute opening of a pop-up office on the grounds of the Capitol only further drives home the point that his administration can do the right thing, but for some inexplicable reason, they continue to ignore problems until they fester beyond control. Our members have talked to thousands of Kentuckians who have been waiting for unemployment insurance benefits since March and early April.


“We applaud the opening of a pop-up UI office to give in-person assistance. It was the right thing to do and appears to be working as those able to make the trip to Frankfort got help. But it only makes it more evident that the rest of the state and those waiting in line deserve to be treated better. Most applicants being ‘investigated’ have never spoken to a human being with the administration. We know this because our members have talked with many of them.”


Beshear said on Wednesday: “Going forward we’re going to have to have a new system. The electronic system is so old that it was incredibly difficult, especially at the start when unemployment laws changed.”


Another part of the problem occurred in January 2017, when then-Gov. Matt Bevin reduced the number of unemployment offices from 51 to 12 regional hubs and eight satellite offices, transferring the employees to other state offices, greatly reducing the resources available during the unemployment spike.

House Majority Leadership has called on Beshear to respond to multiple concerns about the executive branch’s management of unemployment insurance.


“This is the first time that many of these people really need government, and it is failing them,” they wrote. “Many have gone months without a paycheck, the collateral damage of a massive failure of leadership within the executive branch. By the end of the second day, 1,100 people were reportedly served. This is just a drop in the bucket, but a shift that provides hope for the more than 50,000 Kentuckians still waiting.”


In the statement, House Majority Leadership said they supported Beshear’s early efforts in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and “offered assistance multiple times.”

The statement said “thousands of Kentuckians” have been waiting for unemployment benefits since March and early April.


“We applaud the opening of a pop-up UI office to give in-person assistance. It was the right thing to do and appears to be working as those able to make the trip to Frankfort got help,” they wrote. “But it only makes it more evident that the rest of the state and those waiting in line deserve to be treated better.”

They said most applicants being “investigated” have never spoken to a human being with the administration.

In closing, the statement calls upon the governor to “address the issues, take action and empower stakeholders to do what needs to be done to open this state safely, quickly and without unnecessary requirements.”


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