KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tuesday, the Kansas Department of Labor launched a new system to handle unemployment insurance claims and payments.
The upgrade — called the Unemployment Insurance Technology Enhancement project — was years in the making. The state passed a law in 2021 to modernize the system after experiencing several issues in 2020 and 2021.
Because of an increase in layoffs during the COVID pandemic, Kansans seeking unemployment assistance flooded the system with claims. At the time, the system was more than 40 years old and unable to keep up with the surge in demand.
“I had called unemployment over 500 times,” Mercedez Wilson said in April 2020.
At that time, Phil Hayes at Wichita-based The Arnold Group jumped into action. He helped draft House Bill 2196 to modernize the system.
“We had such an old system," he said. “Unfortunately, legitimate Kansans that really needed the assistance were negatively impacted probably during one of the worst times possible.”
Leaders knew it would take years to modernize the system. The new website and program streamline the workflow, work on mobile devices, improve communication between the state and claimants, and upgrade cybersecurity to prevent fraud.
”The big challenge for the state is to ensure that we don't wind up in this position again,” Hayes said of the importance of maintaining the new system.
Visit www.KansasUI.gov to access the new unemployment insurance portal. Users must create a new account, even if they used one on the previous system.
Employers are no longer allowed to file unemployment claims for employees they lay off like in the past.
“This modernization initiative marks a significant milestone in our commitment to providing seamless services to Kansas employers and our workforce,” Kansas Labor Secretary Amber Shultz said in a statement.
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KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com.
