You are reading

DOL: Filing for Unemployment Has Been Streamlined, Tech Upgrades Made

The DOL has upgraded its online and call center technology systems(Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash)

April 13, 2020 By Michael Dorgan

The New York Department of Labor has upgraded its online and call center technology systems that will increase the agency’s capacity to process unemployment benefit applications.

The new system, dubbed “Tech Surge,” was rolled out Friday — in partnership with Google Cloud, Deloitte, and Verizon — and will help speed up getting cash to people who have been laid-off as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a statement released Thursday.

Up until last week, many people who filed for unemployment were unable to complete the process online–and were required to call in to verify information pertaining to their claim. However, the agency’s phone system failed to keep up with the surge in new applicants and many people missed out on getting badly needed funds.

The new streamlined website – which has increased the number of servers that support its online filing system from four to over 60 — will fully process most applications online and relieve some of the backlog on the agency’s phones systems.

The department has urged applicants to first use the new online system in order to reduce the number of people who must speak to a claims specialist over the phone. Further, people who are unable to complete the process online are no longer required to call the agency to finish their application. Instead, the department said it will call those applicants and are advising them that the incoming caller ID may be listed as, “private number.”

Labor Commissioner Department Roberta Reardon said the agency recognizes that this is a challenging time for all New Yorkers and that the agency is responding as quickly as possible.

“I have been unemployed. I understand the urgency,” she said.

“We know that your livelihood depends on it and we assure you that you will get your benefits,” she added.

Applicants who are entitled to benefits will receive them, even if there filing date is delayed, the statement read.

The call center’s opening hours have been extended to seven days per week and the number of staff has already been bumped up to 1,000 from 400 with plans in place to add a further 200, the agency said.

More than 16 million Americans have now lost their jobs in the last three weeks, according to the latest Labor Department figures released Thursday. Just over 345,000 New Yorkers filed new claims last week ending April 4.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

City debunks drone reports over LaGuardia after real emergency unfolds in Queens skies

As drone hysteria swept from New Jersey across the Hudson River to New York City on Thursday night, fueled by online reports of nearly a dozen large drones spotted over Queens, a genuine emergency unfolded in the skies above the borough.

The Port Authority and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that a flight out of LaGuardia Airport earlier in the evening was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport after a bird strike blew out an engine on the aircraft.

Op-ed: A new JFK Airport is a doorway to opportunity for local and diverse businesses

Dec. 12, 2024 By Elena Barcenas and Loycent Gordon

As successful small business owners here in Queens, we join all New Yorkers in looking forward to the transformation of JFK International Airport into the world-class airport our city deserves. But a new JFK will serve as more than a global gateway for travelers—for local and minority-owned businesses like ours, it will be a doorway to life-changing opportunities.