ALBANY, N.Y., Jan. 7, 2009
Unemployment Claims Crash System
States' Phone And Internet Systems Struggle To Keep Pace Amid Unprecedented Strain
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New York's phone and Internet claims system started to buckle on Monday afternoon and was out of service completely for the first half of Tuesday while as many as 10,000 people per hour tried to get in, said Leo Rosales, a state Labor Department spokesman. (ui.labor.state.ny.us)
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About 4.5 million Americans are collecting jobless benefits, a 26-year high, so the Web sites and phone systems now commonly used to file for benefits are being tested like never before.
Even those that are holding up under the strain are in many cases leaving filers on the line for hours, or kissing them off with an "all circuits are busy" message. Agencies have been scrambling to hire hundreds more workers to handle the calls.
Systems in New York, North Carolina and Ohio were shut down completely by technical glitches and heavy volume, and labor officials in several other states are reporting higher-than-normal use.
"Regardless of when you call, be prepared to wait and just hang on. Try not to get frustrated," said Howard Cosgrove, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, which boosted its staff of telephone operators by 25 percent last month to cope with a phone system that has been overloaded for weeks. "We sympathize, we're on their side, we're doing our best to help them out."
The nation's unemployment rate in November zoomed to 6.7 percent, a 15-year high. Economists predict it will rise to 7 percent in December, with another 500,000 jobs probably cut last month. The government releases its monthly employment report on Friday.
Some states attribute the increase in call volume in part to an extension of federal emergency unemployment compensation from 13 weeks to 20 weeks in late November. More than 54,000 Pennsylvanians had exhausted their federal benefits after 13 weeks by the time that occurred, said David Smith, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.
"It really was a perfect storm," he said.
New York's phone and Internet claims system started to buckle on Monday afternoon and was out of service completely for the first half of Tuesday while as many as 10,000 people per hour tried to get in, said Leo Rosales, a state Labor Department spokesman.
Although that was an unusually high number of calls, Rosales said it was a software glitch in an authentication system used to verify filers' identities that caused the system to crash.
"It's designed to handle this volume of calls, but the authentication process didn't work as it should have," he said. Rosales said the glitch that caused the shutdown has been fixed, and the agency doesn't expect any more problems.
About 256,000 people are collecting unemployment in New York, up from about 184,000 at this time last year.
North Carolina's Web site crashed twice this week under a rush of claims as that state set one-day records for both the amount of benefits paid and the number of transactions.
On Sunday and Monday, the number of North Carolinians trying to sign up online for new or continuing benefits was about triple what it was before the economic slowdown started, according to the state Employment Security Commission. That volume, together with a phone line problem, overwhelmed the agency's computers and prevented some people from filing claims.
The system was working again by Monday afternoon after the agency added another server and demand decreased, officials said.
"Right now, everything is back to normal," agency spokesman Larry Parker said.
Mark Turner, 39, of Raleigh said Tuesday that North Carolina's site had an easy setup when he started using the site after he was laid off in November.
But on Sunday, he couldn't logon to the site. "I basically gave up for the night at 10:30 after trying and not getting through," he said Tuesday. "Once you get on the site, you can be done in half a minute. Apparently that was too much."
Turner, who's since landed a temporary job, suggested the site separate people trying to get recertified and people signing up for the first time. "I think it's going to get worse before it gets better," he said.
Thousands were unable to get through to Ohio's unemployment hot line beginning Monday because of a crush of callers and technical problems, said Dennis Evans, spokesman for the state Department of Job and Family Services. He said the phone system was running normally again Tuesday afternoon, but the section of the state's Web site that enables people to make claims online remained down.
California has seen a record number of calls to an 800 number over the last few weeks.
"During this holiday period we've been averaging a record of more than 2 million call attempts a day, and it took more than 20 times before people could get through to our UI call centers," said Employment Development Department spokeswoman Patti Roberts.
That's about twice the one-day record of call attempts set in 2004 during an earlier recession, she said.
Callers to Michigan's main phone line handling applications for jobless benefits got an "all circuits are busy now" message Tuesday afternoon. Officials in Michigan, which had the nation's highest jobless rate at 9.6 percent in November, recently began urging applicants to seek benefits through a state Internet site instead. Michigan counted about 473,000 people as unemployed in November, up from about 370,000 a year ago.
Unemployment agencies from Kentucky to Alaska also are reporting long hold times for callers and slowdowns for those filing online because of higher volume.
Several states have added staff to their call centers to handle the surge, including Ohio, Oklahoma and Washington.
Pennsylvania has hired temporary workers and expanded the hours of its unemployment benefits hot line to accommodate a surge in the number of calls, going from 600 employees to more than 800. Officials hope to eventually have 1,100 workers answering calls.
New Mexico has extended call-center hours, upgraded the phone system and added 15 workers. Even so, "We still are receiving reports of people's inability to get through," said Carrie Moritomo, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Workforce Solutions.
In Kentucky, where claims rose to 40,400 in November from 23,400 a year earlier, a flood of new filers overwhelmed the state's unemployment Web site and phone lines on Monday, when more than 8,000 people filed initial claims, said Kim Brannock, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Education Cabinet, which oversees the state unemployment office.
"People seem to feel like they have to file first thing Monday morning," she said. "They don't have to, but they feel that way. It's just overwhelming to the system."
© MMIX The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 109 Commentsgut feeling.
Have we ever had a president with a negative approval rating when they left office???? Got a feeling we will now.
Posted by demswin08 at 08:23 AM : Jan 07, 2009
A Republican has never left office with unemployment under 5 percent.
Posted by TexHillGirl at 08:32 AM : Jan 07, 2009
There is a reason why you have to continually change you name. You are a cancer that just keeps coming back.
Reagan did....brought unemployment down from over 10% when he took office...
Posted by TexHillGirl at 08:35 AM : Jan 07, 2009
Are you looking at average list of one of your favorite Right Wing "Think" tanks? Reagen''s over all average by election cycle just nicked under Carter''s (you know, the spawn of satan) average. And that is it, every conservatives averages has been atrocious. But I guess you had better hold on for dear life to that 1 10th, yes 1 10th of a percent average better than Carter/Satan''s average.
This is how the Republicans intend on handling the unemployment rate by hiring workers to handle the call. You got to admit they handled the imagration problem now they are returning home back to where they came. The conservatives destroyed America but they did it. Of course now it will take the American people to fix it and of course the wing nuts will cry like babies when we don''t let them play.
Posted by TexHillGirl at
The way unemployment is measured has been changed or altered someway by every administration since Reagan. The U6 or broadest measure was running at 12.5% as of November 2008. The website Shadow Stats tracks these numbers the way they were measured before all the little "gimmicks" were added in to mislead the public and they say it is running at ~16.5%
No job, no health insurance, food stamps, little hope!
AND, according to Barack Obama and the evil, cowardly Whimpo-crats, NO $500 "ECONOMIC STIMULUS" tax reduction, since they aren''t paying any tax!
Again, how many evil, cowardly Whimpo-crats does it take to screw in a light bulb???
SIG HEIL, AND YOU THOUGHT I WAS BAD!!!, BUSH!!!
is wonderful. If you wanted a good laugh you should have been watching Larry Kudlow the past year. Don''t be a bunch of whiners.
Posted by TexHillGirl at
The way unemployment is measured has been changed or altered someway by every administration since Reagan. The U6 or broadest measure was running at 12.5% as of November 2008. The website Shadow Stats tracks these numbers the way they were measured before all the little "gimmicks" were added in to mislead the public and they say it is running at ~16.5%
Posted by omega40 at 09:04 AM : Jan 07, 2009
You are absolutely correct, omega40!
Betcha Rowdy is too lazy to look up those facts for herself though!
Have a nice day! I have a business to run! I''m not on the dole like Rowdy!
Posted by TexHillGirl
With lower paying jobs. In his administration instead of one job you needed two! A lot of us working people learned the hard way with him not to vote Republican!
You don''''t even know how to read the freaking statistics!
When are you FOOLS going to stop listening to the dumpocrapic pig trough of lies and propaganda!
Posted by TexHillGirl
You''re apparently the dummy that cant read, the U6 captures the marginally attached, discouraged and underemployed workers, all missed by your stupid little 17 and a half weeks argument!
You don''''t even know how to read the freaking statistics!
When are you FOOLS going to stop listening to the dumpocrapic pig trough of lies and propaganda!
Posted by TexHillGirl
Hey Dumbazz_... DOL stats, why don''t you inform yourself BEFORE you illustrate your ignorance to the rest of the board!
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t12.htm
but he is DEAD. All you people who love Reagan should be talking about all the wonderful things your man
BUSH has done for us the past 8 years.If you like Reagan you should love Hank Paulson who took 1 trillion of tax payer money and gave to wall street.
Hey, I wonder if all those newly-unemployed people blow Mitch McConnell a kiss from the unemployment line?
lollll...they are surely going to lose their homes and starve to death, ''cuz you WAY don''t count to a Republican like McConnell if you aren''t making one of his donors money with your labor.
Posted by TexHillGirl at 10:00 AM : Jan 07, 2009
Hint: If those people were back at work, we wouldn''t have a net job loss...
Posted by TexHillGirl at 10:00 AM : Jan 07, 2009
Hint: If those people were back at work, we wouldn''''t have a net job loss...
Posted by ibsteve2u
LOL! let Jethro cipher on that awhile, maybe she will "get it", but I doubt it.
Do you not understand 17 weeks?
17 week vacation with chump change!!!
Posted by TexHillGirl at 10:02 AM : Jan 07, 2009
Oh, lordie....you surely are stuck in your biases.
Did you not read the statement:
"About 4.5 million Americans are collecting jobless benefits, a 26-year high"
It is right there in the story, plain as day...
Think of this every time you buy something made outside our country.
Seriously.
Posted by trillion1 at 10:10 AM : Jan 07, 2009
If that is the case, they must not pay much - ''cuz the talent is obscured by the insanity.
I''''m not part of the new whine, bichhh, and moan generations...that will believe every lie fed to them...
If you''''re going to quote statistics, you need to know how to read them.
Posted by TexHillGirl at 10:12 AM : Jan 07, 2009
Gee...I seem to recall acing statistics at university...
Maybe I am too educated?
in my state there was a short time during the New Year
that the online Workone website was closed for maint-
ence. I was scared, and that was bad, my heart goes
out to each and everyone of those people in those states who are having difficulties. Nobody understands
a thing til they have to stand in line at a Workone
office. You can stand for hours waiting to talk to a
receptionist, then you have to wait another couple hours to actually talk to a workone agent. So I''ve
been there and done it.
Nawwww, I just don''''t drink at the dumpocrapic pig trough of lies and propaganda like you do...
I''''m not part of the new whine, bichhh, and moan generations...that will believe every lie fed to them...
If you''''re going to quote statistics, you need to know how to read them.
Posted by TexHillGirl a
So show me anywhere in the above story or any government data source that said 17 weeks was the average duration for Nov 2008 (the last month statistics are available for). I''m waiting.
Guess I''''m too overeducated to drink at the dumpocrapic pig trough of lies and propaganda...
Evidently you''''ll use your education to spread it because you''''ve been brainwashed to hate republicans.
Posted by TexHillGirl at 10:17 AM : Jan 07, 2009
Oh, lordy, Rowdy.
Let me see:
You have claimed to run a restaurant.
You have claimed to sell hay for a living.
You have claimed to have been divorced what - 2 or 3 times?
Now you are claiming to have two masters degrees?
lollll...you are in reality one of two possibilities:
Hateful, or crazy.
Or both, come to think of it.
Long enough so that she couldn''t find any people who would listen to her in the little burg she lives in...
Let me see:
You have claimed to run a restaurant.
You have claimed to sell hay for a living.
You have claimed to have been divorced what - 2 or 3 times?
Now you are claiming to have two masters degrees?
lollll...you are in reality one of two possibilities:
Hateful, or crazy.
Or both, come to think of it.
Posted by ibsteve2u
She is building quite an empire for herself. At the rate she is progressing, she should be able to buy and sell Bill Gates by late March of this year.
own stories. Yea statistic are one thing but lets
worry about the actual people behind these statistis.
Wake up America, where is the help that is need to
get everybody back to work!
You should congratulate yourself, because that really grates - coming from somebody you KNOW would just as soon kill every human being on the planet.
Yup, that is irritating - as you no doubt intend it to be.
2 wars we might be able to help these people out. Mr
Bush turned his back on his people, but yet he can
send them off to 2 wars we can ill afford!
Nawwww, I just don''''''''t drink at the dumpocrapic pig trough of lies and propaganda like you do...
I''''''''m not part of the new whine, bichhh, and moan generations...that will believe every lie fed to them...
If you''''''''re going to quote statistics, you need to know how to read them.
Posted by TexHillGirl a
So show me anywhere in the above story or any government data source that said 17 weeks was the average duration for Nov 2008 (the last month statistics are available for). I''''m waiting.
Still waiting...
I love it, you guys go out to some dumpocratic website that includes .gov in it and think you''''re into a real statistics site!
Posted by TexHillGirl
I am looking at the real numbers and they are not 17 weeks and that website was BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS part of the DEPARTMENT OF LABOR!
this new Obama administration. I think this 8 years
stint of Bush is about 7 1/2yrs too long. Bush will
go down in history with the lowest poll numbers when
he leaves office.
You guys keep humping your dumpocrapic pig trough of lifes and propaganda...
Enjoy yourselves...
Posted by TexHillGirl
Yeah go ahead and runaway, you were caught in another lie, big surprise.
The more unemployment the more breakdown of society, crime and gang or tribal warfare.
Look folks, this is not just a typical recession/depression but a BREAKDOWN CRISIS of civilization itself.
The main pillars of the global financial system have been discredited.
Folks like Ronald Reagan with is theory of ''trickle-down voodoo'' economics, or George Bush Jr.''s belief in ''supply-side'' where you just supply the credit and people will not need good wages.
Or go back even further to British agent and idiot Maynard Keynes who preached 0% interest rates so people will be forced to borrow and spend instead of produce and save.
Or how about the grandaddy of them all, Adam Smith and is ''invisible hand'' where he justifies the looting of countries indeed every country so private interests can rule the world and play god by becoming the financier of life itself.
Folks, unless we completely abolish the foolish ideas of these clowns we have no hope!
Get real. Leave Texas and travel to the states who
are having difficulties with the unemployment. Your
fine president caused a lot of these problems of this
country. Your ignorance is not bliss!
Just a quickie for ya, Omgega...read it and weep.
Posted by TexHillGirl
nope, nice try, but our government puts seasonally unadjusted at 19.2 and seasonally adjusted at 18.8. Thanks for playing, NEXT!
Posted by TexHillGirl
Average (mean) duration, in weeks. Yep, these are the numbers I am reporting from the BLS
not work. Look where we are at now. We are in a budget
crisis and Mr. Bush contributed to it greatly.
come soon enough.
Unfortunately will be paying for his retirement for
the rest of his life. We have to endower his policies
for years to come. Good luck America, as in Ben-Hur
Row well and live.
never heard that expression before.
seclusion hopefully.
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