Phone Wait Times Worse Than Ever For Colorado's Unemployed
DENVER (CBS4)- Despite repeated pledges to reduce telephone wait times for Colorado's jobless, a CBS4 Investigation has found that hold times for Colorado's unemployed seeking information about their unemployment claims have soared, averaging more than two hours for those who can actually manage to get on hold.
"Do we want to reduce the wait times? Absolutely. Are we trying to do it as quickly as possible? Absolutely," said Ellen Golombek, Executive Director of the Colorado Division of Labor and Employment, which oversees the Unemployment Insurance program.
In a CBS4 Investigation that aired in May of 2011, Golombek called the then 90 minute wait times "not acceptable" and promised improvement. She said she didn't want anyone on hold more than 15 minutes looking for answers about their unemployment claims.
Since then, Colorado's unemployment rate has steadily dropped, standing at 7.9 percent in December, a full percentage point less than December 2010, and the lowest it has been in more than two and a half years. The number of people calling the unemployment lines has also dropped. But the hold times have actually gone up. For the week of June 11, 2011, 7,160 people called the CDLE with questions about their unemployment claims. The average wait time was 1 hour, 35 minutes, 2 seconds.
For the final week of 2011, the latest figures available, 3,795 people called CDLE and the average wait time was 2 hours, 6 minutes and 58 seconds.
"I think we have a ways to go with regards to phone wait times," said Golombek.
That's an understatement for Troy Springston, one of 215,000 unemployed Coloradoans. The 42-year-old father of six lost his job as a litigation support manager at a law firm last November. He has tried repeatedly to get answers about his unemployment claim and has never been able to speak to anyone at CDLE.
"I have never gotten through, never talked to anybody," said Springston.
He said he has called hundreds of times in the last two months, one day calling every three minutes.
"It's extremely frustrating for my family . I feel like there's nobody there. I've tried every trick in the book."
Springston said he has been unemployed before in Massachusetts and Michigan but has never seen phone problems like what he has experienced in Colorado.
Says Golombek, "We're just not fully staffed but we're going as fast as we can."
She said the agency is in the process of doubling the number of people answering phones, but getting the new employees trained and on the lines has taken longer than expected. She said she hopes CDLE is fully staffed by the end of the first quarter of 2012.
Golombek said the worsening phone wait times can also be traced to a departmental reorganization. Golombek said CDLE has been actively working to ease phone congestion. She said the agency has partnered with libraries in rural Colorado and set up dedicated computer terminals for the unemployed, has increased the number of outbound phone calls to anticipate questions and now has phone lines at workforce centers dedicated for inquiries from the unemployed.
Still, Golombek concedes,"I think we're going to have to prove to people things are going to improve."
Additional Resources:
The following tips and information were provided by the Colorado Division of Labor and Employment:
THE TOP 5 WAYS TO AVOID THE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE CALL CENTER
Some problems and questions need a Call Center Representative to help you resolve – but many do not. Before placing a call, consider these tips:
1. If you have a question, search our website, your handbook and other claim materials for the answer. You'll probably find the answer quickly in one of those locations. At this web address, you can find a wealth of information: www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CDLE-UnempBenefits
2. Register with My UI Claimant as soon as your claim is filed. This website can provide answers and assistance to a wide variety of issues: myui.coworkforce.com/. At My UI Claimant, you can check the status of your claim, learn about your eligibility for benefits, see your payment history and information and much more.
3. Be a pro-active claimant. Be sure that you are registered with your local Workforce Center, complete and return all required forms right away, complete your bi-weekly filings on a regular schedule, verify that they took in the system. Be careful not to lose your PIN or forget what it is. That PIN is a valuable key to your payments.
4. Remember that it takes about 5 to 7 weeks to get most claims processed and if your last employer paid you some "other pay" it could postpone benefits, for the time/hours they paid you for. If you have not immediately received your first benefit payment, there may be no problem, just the standard waiting time.
5. Unemployment Insurance representatives visit Workforce Centers during February to provide face-to-face service. In the weeks ahead, UI staff will be at Workforce Centers across Denver and at Arapahoe/Douglas Works, Greeley, Fort Collins, Broomfield, Loveland, Fort Morgan and Sterling and Pueblo. Contact any of these Workforce Center for dates and times. Go to www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CDLE-EmployTrain/CDLE/ for a listing of Workforce Centers.
