Officials with the Idaho Department of Labor said Monday its phone lines are overloaded with calls, as thousands of Idahoans try to file for unemployment insurance benefits amid an economic shutdown caused by the coronavirus. Labor officials are asking unemployment claimants to file online rather than over the phone.
Part of the problem right now….Jammed phone lines prevent the department’s claim specialists from calling out to resolve issues with individual claims.
The Idaho Press reports, last week, the department announced it saw a 1,200% increase in unemployment claims from the week before — the largest such increase in the state’s history.
Idaho workers filed over 13,000 new claims for unemployment insurance benefits during the week of March 15-21. During the previous week, just over 1,000 workers filed unemployment claims.
On Friday, federal lawmakers agreed to an expansion of the nation’s unemployment insurance program, but it will take time for the state to implement the programs.
Answers to questions about unemployment insurance and COVID-19 are in the FAQ section of the labor website at www.labor.idaho.gov.
