There have been many issues that I have been working on behalf of constituents on since the COVID-19 pandemic began and one that many are aware of and has been incredibly frustrating is the inability to access unemployment benefits due to fraudulent claims being filed in the names of those who have been the victims of data breaches.  Additionally, there are many individuals who unfortunately have been laid off in the past several months due to COVID-19 who still to this day cannot access benefits.  The fraudulent claims have forced DOL to put in additional safeguards but with these safeguards has come extra steps which contribute to the delays.

Recently I sent this letter to the NYS Department of Labor (NYSDOL) Commissioner in June. In essence, the letter requests that DOL work towards in-person meetings with individuals because not all individuals are tech-savvy or tech accessible and nothing is better than in-person meetings to verify identity.  While DOL does not have a physical walk-in space for appointments, the local career centers would be the best places to allow for in-person appointments to address these issues.

Working closely with constituents, we frequently hear about how the call center number does not work, and if they miss a callback they are unable to reach a person when attempting to return a missed call. There are some people who are back to work but they are still trying to obtain long overdue benefits that they were owed from when they were unemployed. That money is vital to helping them pay bills that might be overdue or pay down debt that may have accrued when they were looking for a job.

To date NYS DOL has not responded to that request and while we are all understanding of the pressure and stress this department has endured since March 2020, it is critical that individuals who are rightfully due their unemployment benefits receive them and those who are not entitled do not.   I am cognizant that there is an anti UI sentiment out there due to jobs that remain unfilled and I do encourage people to look for work and for employers to contest UI benefits when they are not appropriate. However, there are legitimate claims for individuals that need to be addressed and it is my hope and that of others that DOL addresses those issues in person ASAP.