As unemployment claims continue to be filed at an alarming rate in the state of Kansas, Kansas Department of Labor Secretary Delia Garcia says they are doing everything they can to help meet the demand.
During Governor Laura Kelly’s daily press conference Thursday, Garcia stated that the number of unemployment filings at the federal level currently stands at 10 million as of Thursday. Of that, Kansas has seen 79,353 filings.
Governor Kelly mentioned earlier this week that the unprecedented number of filings was overwhelming the Kansas Department of Labor’s toll-free hotline with close to 900,000 calls on Monday alone. She says this same surge has now begun to overwhelm the department’s online system recently.
According to Garcia, recent efforts to assist with the demand have included increasing and reassigning staff and addressing capacity issues to the department’s website.
Additionally, the Governor announced they will be utilizing Amazon web services to assist with the increasing influx of calls, emails and filings.
The update on the situation follows the Governor’s issuance of executive order 20-17 Monday where she waived certain requirements making access to unemployment benefits easier for Kansas claimants. One of the waived requirements included the one week waiting period for certain claimants.
Garcia says as of the press conference approximately 60% of claimants who have a waiting week that qualify for payment had received that payment. She added that the department is working diligently to address issues preventing payment for remaining qualified claimants stating, “you will receive your funds.”
Both Garcia and Governor Kelly again ask all Kansans needing to file for unemployment do so by visiting www.Getkansasbenefits.gov as it is still the quickest way to process claims at this time. Residents who do not have access to the internet, are non-English speakers, military personnel or who have moved to Kansas within the last 18 months may call the department’s hotline at 1-800-292-6333.
