Nevada unemployment agency adds resources to address benefits backlog
The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation has implemented new measures to deal with “an unprecedented number of unemployment insurance claims” from statewide closures and mitigation efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The agency said in a statement Friday that it will continue to add staff at its call centers and train existing employees to deal with a backlog of emails and phone calls. It also has been diverting staff from partner agencies and working to adapt new technology to streamline the application process.
The department recommends that Nevadans fill out their claims online to avoid long waits to apply for benefits by phone.
With tens of thousands suddenly out of work, the phone lines have been jammed up for weeks. One woman, Cassandra Raina, told the Review-Journal on Thursday she had been unable to get through despite trying for more than a week, adding that the queue to make a claim has been filled immediately upon the lines opening at 8 a.m.
The department said its hotline for those struggling with their login information for the online system will be open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. The hotline can be reached at 775-687-6838 in Northern Nevada and 702-486-3293 in Southern Nevada.
Last week, about 93,000 Nevadans filed an unemployment claim — 14 times the number of claimants in the previous week.
A $2.2 trillion stimulus package will add $600 per week to unemployment benefits and extend their length. It passed in Congress this week and was signed Friday by President Donald Trump.
Part of a similar spending package approved last week included a provision written by Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., that will allocate up to $10 million to help the state with the unemployment backlog.
On Friday, the employment department stressed that those filing claims will receive full benefits regardless of when they are finally able to file a claim.
“We understand the frustration many are feeling, and we hear you,” Director Tiffany Tyler-Garner said. “Please know that you are not in this alone. We are actively monitoring our systems and researching ways to expand our system and staffing levels to meet a monumental need for unemployment insurance support.”
Contact Rory Appleton at rappleton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0276. Follow @RoryDoesPhonics on Twitter.