Changes to the Unemployment Process

Changes to the Unemployment Process

THAT'S THE UNOFFICIAL TOTALFOR OKLAHOMA SINCE THECOVID-19 PANDEMIC BEGAN.WITH THAT UNPRECEDENTEDNUMBER OF OKLAHOMANS FILINGFOR UNEMPLOYMENT... HAS COMEA FLOOD OF PROBLEMS CAUSINGDELAYS IN GETTING THOSEBENEFITS OUT TO PEOPLECOUNTING ON THEM TO PAYTHEIR BILLS.

AS PART OF THEREBOUND-GREEN COUNTRY...PROBLEM SOLVER INVESTIGATOR,ERIN CONRAD, IS WORKING TOGET ANSWERS ABOUT WHAT'SCAUSING DELAYS... AND WHAT'SBEING FIXED.WE ARE INUNDATED WITH CALLSAND EMAILS FROVIEWERSEXPRESSING THEIR FRUSTRATIONAND DESPERATION... AS THEYTRY TO APPLY FORUNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.AT FIRST ... THEY COULDN'TGET THROUGH TO THEEMPLOYME OFFICE TO APPLYEITHER ON THE PHONE ORONLINE ... NOW THAT THEAGENCY ADDED HUNDREDS OFEXTRA CALL TAKERS ...AND BOOSTED ITS ONLINEABILITY... MANY FILING FORUNEMPLOYMENT ARE STILLWAITING WEEKS TO GET ABENEFITS CARD... OR CAN'TGET ANSWERS ABOUT WHY THEYWERE DENIED OR WHEN THEY'LLGET THEIR MONEY.

:12 JamesLayva: "I've made severalphone calls, talked to acouple people and they saidthey bumped me iup ocritical but they're stilltelling me after a threeweek wait to finally get intouch with somebody it couldbe up to two to three weeksbefore anybody calls me frolevel two to get thesituation straightened out."WE ASKED OESC WHAT'S CAUSINGTHE HOLD UP.

AND WHAT TOTELL THOSE WAITING FORBENEFITS.

5:58 Jim: My bestadvice would be to bepatient but I know that isnot gonna cut it.

We aretrying to run those calls asfast as we can." 8:07 Jim:I want to say this.

Ishouldn't take that longgetting cards out to 'em andthat is something we alooking into to try tofigure out what's going onand we're looking at ways toget 'em more quickly topeople.JIOM POLLY SAYS CERTAINQUESTIONS IN THE APPLICATIONARE BEING MORE CAREFULLYWORDED TO STOP TRIPPING UPAPPLICANTS .

JUST FIXINGONE... HELPED PROCESSTHOUSANDS OF CLAIMS THATWOULD HAD BEEN CAUGHT IN THESYSTEM 12:20ish Jim we didpay 12,000 extra people lastnightAND WE'RE HAPPY TO SAY POLLYWAS ABLE TO FIND AND FIX THEQUESTION THAT ON HAD BEENDELAYING JIM'S CLAIM...HISBENEFITS ARE NOW GOING OUTTOO.

ERIN CONRAD, TWO WORKSFOR YOU.A NOW CONFIRMED E-F-TWOTORNADO... KILLED TWO PEOPLE