KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas Department of Labor Secretary Delia Garcia said her department learned Tuesday morning hundreds of people due an extra $600 weekly payment from Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program had not received them.
It's the latest in a series of struggles the Department of Labor is facing.
"It was just such a high volume of the $600 payout that it exceeded a certain amount and it triggered the accounting system," Garcia said. "The money is moving in transition as we speak."
Garcia also addressed concerns over not being able to reach anyone from the department through the phone lines. Many people have told 41 Action News that is one of their biggest concerns.
"We're still continuing to hire staff, about 25 positions to not just answer calls, but to actually be able to file claims," Garcia said.
Garcia said it typically takes six months to train people in those positions, but the department is having to condense the training into four to six weeks. She said the amount of people taking calls and filing claims will continue to increase as the weeks go by.
For Ozawkie resident Mercedez Wilson, hoping to speak with a real person has become part of her daily routine.
"One day I had called unemployment over 500 times," Wilson said. "I'm at a loss, I just don't even know what to do."
Wilson has been trying to get answers about why she is being denied unemployment benefits even though she has worked for a business at the Legends Outlets since August 2019. She believes it could be because she was self-employed the previous year, but she can't get any answers.
While she continues to file weekly claims to see if she'll get any payments, she debates whether or not she should get a temporary job in the mean time.
"I may get a paycheck, but then again will I lose my previous unemployment or how will it affect me in the future," Wilson said.
When asked if people can still receive unemployment benefits while working a temporary job, Communications and Legislative Director Julie Menghini sent this response in an email:
"Individuals who are working reduced hours still have the potential to receive unemployment benefits. It is case-by-case determination based on the amount of earnings they have in a given week from whatever job they are working."
When it comes to self-employed workers waiting on their $600 payments, Garcia said they should expect to wait another three to four weeks. The department has had to create a program for the payments from the ground up.
"We're working with our IT teams to make sure we can move faster than that," Garcia said.
Garcia reminded Kansans to continue to follow the last name filing system, which asks people to file claims on a specific day of the week depending on their last name.
"It has been working so far, so that's a good thing," Garcia said. "If you're from A to N, you would file on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. From M to Z would file Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Saturdays are for for those who forgot to file and for us to catch up."
Garcia said when and how a claimant receives retroactive pay depends on when they filed.
She said everyone should receive all payments and retropay by May 7 at the latest.