Governor Laura Kelly began her new schedule of daily press briefings Tuesday with the announcement of her latest executive order.
During the briefing, Governor Kelly stated that to no one’s surprise the number of unemployment filings in the state of Kansas has sharply risen over the past two weeks from an average of 1,800 claims a week to now over 60,000 as of Sunday. The Governor also stated the number of phone calls to the Kansas Department of Labor has now risen to 230,000 per day.
Due to this unprecedented influx Governor Kelly issued executive order 20-17 Tuesday which allows Kansans to draw down new federal resources for unemployment insurance programs.
Additionally, the Governor stated in order to help all Kansans seeking unemployment quickly and efficiently access unemployment benefits certain roadblocks would have to be temporarily removed. To that end, Governor Kelly has temporarily waived “certain provisions of state statute that diverge from the federal requirements.”
This includes the waiting week requirement and the requirement that Kansans receiving benefits actively seek work each week. Additionally, the Governor’s order also requires all Kansas employers must notify separated employees if they qualify for unemployment insurance.
If you need to file for unemployment benefits the Governor asks you please do so online as it is the quickest way to process claims at this time. If you do not have access to the internet and must file by phone the Governor urges you to exercise patience during what has become an extremely stressful situation for everyone including customer service representatives.
To file for unemployment online visit GetKansasbenefits.gov or click here.
