KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Carolyn Harris of Independence has been out of work since February, but she still hasn't received unemployment benefits in Missouri.
"My patience was three hours on hold several times," Harris said. "Many mornings, I get up and first thing I do is call. Many mornings, I’ll call and it’ll say all hold lines are busy, all our people are busy, call back tomorrow, and it’ll hang up."
The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations brushed off such concerns in a statement that listed the various ways residents in need of help can reach the Division of Employment Security, or DES:
"There are multiple sources available for claimants to get questions answered including our recently launched claims tracker in UInteract, checking the correspondence and inquiry tabs online in their UInteract account, frequently asked questions on our labor.mo.gov/coronavirus website, how-to videos on labor.mo.gov/des/videos, asking unemployment questions of our chatbot at labor.mo.gov, leaving a call back number or retrieving information on our automated phone system, or using our online web form at labor.mo.gov/claimant-form to request assistance. DES has utilized staff from across the division, the department and other state agencies as well as hired temporary workers to assist with calls and claims volume."
An Uber driver named David from Kansas told us he's using a new smartphone app to try to improve his chances when calling the Kansas Department of Labor.
“I called one day 1,100 times and wasn’t able to get through at all," he said. "Can you believe that? Dial a number 1,100 times and no answer. I have a redial app and it works pretty good. All you gotta do is push a button.”
It's one of many measures, some desperate, that those seeking unemployment benefits are resorting to as state labor departments are overwhelmed by claims, but the Kansas Department of Labor said the redial app is a bad idea.
"Auto dialer apps are problematic as these tools tie up the phone lines making it even more difficult to get through. KDOL does not recommend using them," the department said in a statement to 41 Action News. "We are continuing our efforts to increase staffing and capacity on our phone lines. In addition, we have updated our FAQ section on the website, and many claimants will find their answers to their questions there. In addition, most can check claims status there now, or soon if it is a (Pandemic Unemployment Assositance) claim. "
Whether you live in Kansas or Missouri and are struggling to make ends meet, emotions are running high — just ask Harris.
"The stress level is very high, the depression is very high, being quarantined," she said. "It’s just a horror story."
