By Sherman Smith and India Yarborough
Tribune News Service
TOPEKA — Kansas Department of Labor secretary Delia Garcia pleaded for patience and understanding during a live address on Facebook to the thousands of suddenly out-of-work Kansans struggling to navigate the state’s system for unemployment benefits.
The labor department’s call center has been overwhelmed as businesses shut down operation in response to COVID-19 and a statewide order to shelter in place except for essential services.
Last week, the agency received 50,345 new claims to add to the 50,088 already receiving unemployment benefits. By comparison, the agency recorded 1,405 new claims with 8,501 receiving benefits a year ago.
Those who tuned in to the secretary’s live address unleashed frustration about payments on hold, a bogged down website, a system that locks up when trying to submit a claim, error messages and being locked out of accounts. Meanwhile, phone lines are jammed.
“Thank you for your patience with this,” Garcia told the 9,000 who watched her video. “We know we have a lot of things to go through and fix to make sure we’re serving you.”
A review of the comments section suggests her remarks were not well received.
“Our patience is running out,” one person wrote. “We’ve been waiting WEEKS for you to do your job. I’m glad you’re ‘working hard’ but this is unacceptable.”
Others wrote: “It’s been 4 weeks … still no money,” “we got kids to feed,” and, “resign already.”
Garcia advised those seeking unemployment benefits to use the online portal at www.getkansasbenefits.gov rather than try to call in. She said staff was working to fix inadvertent hangups that have plagued some callers.
She also warned that the website’s maintenance window is from 10:15 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night. Staff from other executive branch agencies is being redirected and trained to assist the labor department.
“We will get through this together,” Garcia said. “It is a partnership.”
“Love how people who are working and getting paid say we will get through this together,” one person responded, “while we are wondering how to get food and bills with no money.”
“All you ever do is repeat the same thing over and over,” another said. “Can you please get to the part of the system being able to handle the workload?”
The labor department was still working to implement the new federal stimulus program, which would add $600 to benefit checks. The agency said those who are eligible will receive back pay once the state system is configured to make the payments.
Gov. Laura Kelly said the labor department is using old technology that was scheduled to be modernized before the crisis hit. The swarm of unemployment claims forced the agency to hold off on the transition.
“They’re operating on really old stuff,” Kelly said. “And then you talk about 12 times as many applications coming in at one time, 877,000 phone calls in one day — that’s going to overwhelm a good system, much less the kind of system that we were stuck with. They are doing everything they possibly can.”
Kansas health officials have reported 38 deaths and more than 1,000 positive tests related to the coronavirus, as of 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Kelly says corrections officials are going through the list of inmates in state prison who are close to release and looking for ones who have “viable plans” for successful re-entry.
An outbreak of COVID-19 at the Lansing Correctional Facility has infected eight inmates and nine staff members, prompting calls for early release of prisoners.
Kelly said the infected Lansing staff are isolated at home, and infected prisoners are quarantined in a separate building from the rest of the prison population.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to move quite a few of those folks back into their communities,” Kelly said. “We want to make sure before we let those folks out though that we’ve got things in place that will make sure they have a good chance of success, and also that it won’t be a shock to any one particular community.”
Melody Brannon, federal public defender for Kansas, said the state isn’t moving fast enough.
“The governor is working on the issues, and any progress she makes will be helpful,” Brannon said. “But every day we wait, we lose ground. More people in jails will become ill and some will die.”
Federal authorities have decided the threat of COVID-19 in federal prisons is mere speculation, Brannon said, until someone actually tests positive. The problem with that approach: CoreCivic, which runs the Leavenworth detention center, isn’t testing.
At the state-run Lansing prison, inmates were still making daily trips to participate in work release programs at essential businesses.
“Whether state or federal, any person who has been deemed trustworthy enough to work in the community should be released,” Brannon said. “No one should be traveling on a daily basis between an infectious congregate jail setting and an infected public community. That can only increase the rate of infection.”