The Kansas Department of Labor’s response to the COVID-related unemployment benefit situation is getting more help.
During her weekly news conference Wednesday, Governor Laura Kelly announced the addition of 500 “surge” staffers to provide more assistance to callers starting next week. She also says a server upgrade should let customer service personnel “simultaneously engage” with the department’s software to handle claim data and information as well as upload claimant documents as needed. And new call center hours are coming as well.
Representatives will now be available from 8 am to 9 pm weekdays, 8 am to 5 pm Saturdays and 1-5 pm Sundays.
The department has struggled to handle the need for help, whether by phone or website, since the pandemic started. Part of that has been insufficient staff to meet the demand with 20 people answering phones when the pandemic started, although that has now increased to over 400. Part of that has been 1970s-era technology, which has seen some upgrades over the past year including a security upgrade last month. Part of that has been the crush of fraudulent claims to sort through, and part of that is also the apparent use of automatic dialers. Those are incompatible with the state’s call system and clog the lines for others needing help.
