Buffalo, NY (WBEN) The State Department of Labor is rolling out a new online unemployment filing system. The state's been working with Google in the hopes of dealing with the volume of calls.
Secretary to the governor Melissa DeRosa says part of the problem comes from incomplete filings. "If you fill out the application in full, you're done. If you leave any of the fields blank, they tell you to call system. You follow up, that's what's caused the crash in volume and the system to go down," explains DeRosa.
DeRosa says the system will go down between 5pm and 7pm to allow the system to reboot. "At 7pm, the new application goes online. It's streamlined with fewer questions," says DeRosa. "If you successfully filled it out, it's going to say you're finished with the application process. If there's anything left blank, don't call us. Someone from the state will call you within 72 hours."
DeRosa says the state Department of Labor has 1,000 people working the phone lines to assist those filing for unemployment. "They'll reach out directly to the people so they don't have to go through the infuriating system of calling and getting busy signals, thereby collapsing the system," says DeRosa, noting it's a volume issue the state has never experienced.