12 million Americans still waiting for unemployment
Six months into the pandemic, some laid-off workers find themselves waiting weeks or even months to receive their unemployment benefits. States blame antiquated technology and say their staffers can’t keep up with the continued surge of claims, while worker advocates say these are just excuses for mismanagement and a failure to prioritize funding for upgrades. As this plays out, an untold number of families are hanging on by a financial thread.
“I'm living with my mother now, out of necessity,” said Adia Romaine-Figueroa, a Sacramento-area veterinary assistant who lost her job in April and inexplicably stopped receiving unemployment payments at the beginning of May, she said. “I have a balance of $10,000, of which I've received $2,000.” Romaine-Figueroa said she has spent hours trying to reach someone — anyone — at the state’s Economic Development Department to no avail.
Half a country away, Indiana hotel worker David Kruszewski describes a Kafka-esque loop of being told he qualified for benefits, only to have his claims denied, for more than two months after he stopped working to care for his five kids after his wife landed a new full-time job. “Funny how fast they deny a claim, but it takes months to be accepted,” he said. “It’s been a horrible struggle,” that has entailed hours on hold, and no resolution in sight.
Kruszewski said the ordeal has taken a heavy financial and mental toll.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/at-risk-of-losing-their-home-health-and-internet-12-million-americans-still-waiting-for-unemployment-benefits/ar-BB18Wrui?li=BBnb7Kz
