Some Illinoisans Are Now Back At Work, But Still Can't Get Through To Secure Unemployment They've Been Trying To Get Since March
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Just in the past week, we've heard from dozens of people who are still waiting on unemployment benefits – some since March.
CBS 2 is committed to working for Chicago, and on Thursday night, CBS 2's Tara Molina took some of the concerns we're still hearing straight to the state.
Some people have been waiting for benefits so long, they're now back at work. But they're still waiting for the help they needed for months to catch up on bills.
Peggy Clark is one of those people - waiting since March.
"I cannot pay some of my bills," Clark said.
Now back at work, after a furlough that started almost three months ago, Clark still can't catch-up.
"I think about it evert day," she said. "It's really stressful."
That is despite hundreds of phone calls and months of trying.
"Some days I call 50 times a day," she said.
Clark told us she's done everything she can.
"Never, ever been able to connect with a person," she said.
Clark has a debit card from the Illinois Department of Employment Security. She said she just can't certify, and she can't get through to fix that.
"I have tried every day, since that time, since March - every single day to certify," Clark said.
She's not alone.
Just this week, we've heard from two dozen people who still can't get through to IDES for help over the phone - help they can't get anywhere else. Some, like Clark, have been trying since March.
So Molina reached out to IDES, detailing the issues we've heard, and followed up with the Gov. JB Pritzker's office to ask why people still can't get through.
"I know they said they added people," Clark said, "but if you can't take the calls, then you didn't add enough people."
IDES spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco released the following statement:
"IDES continues to receive an unprecedented number of calls to the call center. 512 IDES employees are working on taking calls and processing claims. Since the beginning of this global pandemic, 32,000 hours of voluntary overtime have been worked from March 1 – May 15 by employees who have gone above and beyond to meet the unprecedented demand the department and our systems have had with unemployment questions and claims. In addition to these employees, the virtual call center IDES has contracted with Deloitte to stand up now has 562 call center reps trained and equipped to handle calls.
"The system is set up to detect issues with certification and interferences this may lead to with payments, which produces a system-generated letter which is then mailed to the address the claimant has on file with the Department. IDES does not have the capacity to take staffers away from answering the large influx of calls continuing to come through to make phone calls to claimants. Additionally, when phone calls have been made directly to claimants from a claims rep, those phone calls can often go unanswered because the claimant does not recognize the phone number and lets the call go to voicemail. During a normal time, when there is not a demanding crush on the phones, claimants can easily get through to a claims rep to discuss the issue they are having."
CBS 2 is committing to Working For Chicago, connecting you every day with the information you or a loved one might need about the jobs market, and helping you remove roadblocks to getting back to work.
We'll keep uncovering information every day to help this community get back to work, until the job crisis passes. CBS 2 has several helpful items right here on our website, including a look at specific companies that are hiring, and information from the state about the best way to get through to file for unemployment benefits in the meantime.
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