EDITORIAL: Unemployment system still a mess

Six months into the pandemic, Nevada’s unemployment system remains a train wreck.

In early August, Gov. Steve Sisolak announced a leadership change at the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, which administers the state’s beleaguered jobless system. Elisa Cafferata, the former CEO of Nevada Planned Parenthood, now runs the department. The governor also put former Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley in charge of a rapid-response team to clear the case backlog.

It’s been more than a month and somewhere between 65,000 to 80,000 Nevadans remain in limbo. As the Review-Journal’s Jonathan Ng reported, DETR worked through around 14,000 claims in a month. At that pace, it will take another four to five months to clear the backlog, not including any new claims. It’s possible some Nevadans will have to wait around a year for their unemployment checks.

A promise to pay missed payments isn’t cutting it for people who needed money long ago.

“I’m worried to death — how can I not be?” Dannielle Spencer, a former Las Vegas art gallery manager, said. “Hand to mouth, you’re depending on this money.”

She said the money troubles make it hard to sleep at night. She’s worried about paying her bills and having her car repossessed.

“If this was a business and if they had computer issues, they would hire IT people to get it fixed over night,” Ms. Spencer said. “How are we just starting to hire people six months in? It’s just so stressful, and it’s so frustrating.”

Unfortunately, the state bungled its contract with the private call center Alorica. DETR’s agreement didn’t include performance metrics or other basic measures of accountability. Unsurprisingly, there were widespread complaints that the representatives weren’t able to answer tough questions or do much of anything. About the only good news is that the call center is about to find itself in the unemployment line. Nevada has given Alorica 30-days notice that it’s canceling the contract.

That’s little consolation though to waiting workers such as Adriana May-Azuero, a single mother of three. She’s been trying to get her unemployment since April. She has turned to crowdfunding and prioritizing which bills to pay. Michael Marks is a 75-year-old veteran who’s been waiting for unemployment since March. He’s relied on credit cards and savings. He thinks he’ll soon be reduced to living in his car.

Everyone understands that Nevada’s unemployment system wasn’t set up to handle the onslaught of cases that occurred in March. But Nevadans needed a leader who could limit the problems and minimize delays. Gov. Sisolak hasn’t been up to the task.