The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services announced Thursday that it is opening a new website and extending hours for a call-in hotline to help speed up filing and processing of unemployment insurance claims.
The new website is ARunemployment.com and can be accessed by all mobile devices. The site will include a link to the state's EZARC website, which still will be used to file claims.
The toll free (844) 908-2178 hotline is now taking calls every day from 6 a.m.-4 p.m. The hotline will be open this weekend as state officials evaluate whether to keep the line operating seven days a week, Commerce Secretary Mike Preston said.
About 150,000 unemployment-benefit claims have been processed in Arkansas since the first week of March, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Thursday during his daily covid-19 update.
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Preston said the new website and enhanced calling hours should alleviate congestion and provide timely responses. "Hopefully, that's going to help," said Preston, who joined the governor's news conference to announce the website and other service enhancements.
The new website includes a special QR code to relay information to the self-employed and individual contractors who now can apply for unemployment benefits in Arkansas for the first time. Workforce Services is still building systems to accommodate those claims. State officials say that should be ready by the end of the month.
Preston noted, however, that the department has no estimate yet on how many self-employed or independent-contract workers might file claims. "It's too early to ballpark on that," Preston said. "We just don't know."
Self-employed workers who provide their email addresses through the new website will be provided weekly updates, Preston said.
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The state Workforce Services Division has estimated that about 118,000 workers fit into the self-employed category. Those workers are eligible for $600 in weekly benefits under emergency unemployment benefits established by Congress through the CARES Act.
The state's new website has simple navigation to access information and streamline filings, officials said.
"We are continually working to improve our resources, processes and functionalities to best serve the people of Arkansas in an efficient manner," Charisse Childers, director of the Workforce Services division, said in a news release.
State unemployment claims reflect the increasing number of unemployed in the nation, where 5.2 million more people filed for unemployment benefits last week.
In Arkansas, 34,635 residents filed for unemployment benefits for the week ending Saturday. That was down from 62,086 the previous week.
Business on 04/17/2020