KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With record numbers of residents seeking assistance from the state of Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly said Thursday she is bolstering resources within the state’s Department of Labor to meet increasing demand.
Kelly said that the department received 1.6 million calls, a one-day record, on Monday.
During her daily briefing Thursday, Kelly said she’s redeployed 78 state employees to help answer the high volume of calls.
The governor encouraged Kansans with access to the internet to access to apply online.
“I know the process remains frustrating,” Kelly said.
The governor also said the state has installed a new phone system to help handle the load. Kelly called the state’s existing unemployment insurance mainframe “horrendously outdated.”
“We’re working with our federal partners to explore how we can use federal stimulus dollars to upgrade our 40-year-old technology,” Kelly said.
Despite the added website and additional staffers, Kelly said busy signals will “inevitably still happen.”
In addition to announcing a lawsuit against the Kansas Legislative Coordinating Committee, which moved Wednesday to overturn an executive order limiting the size of religious gatherings, Kelly issued an executive order that would extend professional and occupational licenses through the end of the pandemic.
The order, which will remain in effect for 90 days after the disaster declaration ends, also waives any late penalties and other fees as well as extending continuing education requirements.
