More call-takers and a better online filing system for applicants are what the state is promising for the weeks ahead to process the unprecedented flood of jobless-benefits claims.
In the meantime, long lines have been stretching from the front entrances of unemployment offices from Pine Bluff to Fayetteville. They are being formed by people who said they have been unable to reach the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services by phone.
Zoe Calkins, a spokeswoman for the division, said her agency is aware that applicants have been dissatisfied or left hanging.
"[The division] apologizes for any inconvenience clients may be experiencing and understands the frustrations and concerns of Arkansas' unemployed," she said. "These are truly unforeseen circumstances for which we could never have been prepared."
The U.S. Department of Labor reported last week that Americans have filed 4.4 million jobless claims. During a five-week period, 26 million jobs have been lost as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Arkansas reached 4.8% unemployment in March and economists have said they expect a jobless rate of more than 9% later this year.
While some have had trouble reaching a state Workforce Services representative over the phone, others have failed to obtain their benefits online through the Easy Arkansas Claims system.
Stephen Basham, 33, of Fort Smith, was among those having with the claims system last week, so he spent hours standing in line hoping to get answers.
"I had to come down here, along with everybody else, in this mile-long line," Basham said, complaining that he was getting nowhere with that system.
Calkins said there are "numerous reasons" for errors in the application process. They could be input errors from the applicant or they could be "due to the uniqueness of the unemployment situation." She elaborated by saying that the system wasn't built to accommodate so many layoffs and furloughs in such a short time.
As a result, the division is working to improve the Easy Arkansas Claims system to make it more user-friendly and mobile-friendly, she said.
As for the overflow of phone calls, Calkins acknowledged that hotline workers have had a lot to handle.
"There are approximately 200 people answering calls for [the Workforce Services Division] across the state," she said. "Last week, we had an average of about 8,660 calls a day."
Also as of last week, the division had processed about 170,000 unemployment claims, according to state Commerce Secretary Mike Preston.
Beginning Sunday, the toll-free line for those seeking benefits expanded its days of operation from six days a week to seven.
Calkins also said that some unemployment offices are "very small," so those offices may have only had about three people answering phones. She said the agency will add staff members at the offices in the coming weeks.
The Workforce Services Division does not encourage applicants to visit the offices, Calkins said, but those offices will remain open in case visitors can't call or file online.
Many of the applicants who did show up last week said they only did so because it was a last resort. They couldn't reach anyone over the phone. A recorded message said that because of a "high volume" of calls they couldn't get through, according to many waiting in lines throughout the state.
"We ask the people of Arkansas for patience and understanding as we strive to accomodate accommodate the needs of thousands in the face of this global pandemic," Calkins said.
In Arkansas, unemployment benefits range from $81 to $451 weekly, depending on the beneficiary's earning history. Congress, though, passed legislation in March authorizing an additional $600 a week to people who have been put out of work in the pandemic.[CORONAVIRUS: Click here for our complete coverage » arkansasonline.com/coronavirus]
According to the U.S. Treasury Department, Arkansas' unemployment insurance trust fund was at nearly $845 million before the pandemic. As of April 16, the balance was at $813,765,889, according to the Workforce Services Division.
Information for this article was contributed by Thomas Saccente of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
A Section on 04/29/2020