Lawmakers Press State Officials on Unemployment Benefits as Expanded Federal Payments End
With supplemental federal unemployment benefits slated to end next week in Maryland, state lawmakers sharply questioned Department of Labor officials Wednesday on their plans to resolve ongoing customer service issues and insisted the agency fully implement a recent emergency bill intended to enhance the unemployment claim process.
There are still 24,109 pending unemployment benefit claims, which makes up 3% of total claims received in recent months, according to Tiffany Robinson, the Maryland secretary of Labor. Most of these claims have been disputed by an employer, which are the most complex cases and take a long time to investigate, because the department serves both the employers and workers, she said.
Lawmakers called the backlog of cases unacceptable.
“It’s great that we’ve [addressed] 97% [of claimants], but it’s that 3% that we continue to hear from,” Del. Edward (Ned) Carey (D-Anne Arundel) said during the Joint Committee on Unemployment Insurance Oversight hearing on Wednesday.
“The issue is — people don’t know when [their unemployment claims] are going to be resolved, and that’s the frustrating part for them,” Carey said.
Read more: https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/06/23/lawmakers-press-state-officials-on-unemployment-benefits-as-expanded-federal-payments-end/