KENTUCKY, USA — State unemployment claims spiked last week, and this week many are still waiting months for help.
According to the U.S. Labor Department, there were 6,417 more new unemployment claims were filed last week compared with the week prior.
There were a total of 53,738 new claims last week, which even state unemployment officials are confused about.
Officials told FOCUS that it could be because as employers are bringing workers back, they later realize they need to cut staff.
In an update Thursday, Department of Workforce Development Secretary said this week they processed 15,000 March and April claims that were held up.
That's progress, but still status quo for Steve Geist, who called the system “a broken joke."
Geist had only been working for four months as a logistics broker when he says he got laid off permanently the Monday after Easter.
Since April 13, not a dime from state unemployment, not even a penny from the federal 600-dollars per week.
“I just think after two months it's ridiculous," Geist said. “It's, it's crazy to me, I don't understand it.”
While the state says more complicated claims need to be worked through, Geist says the only complication may be that he filed for unemployment before, last October.
“Man, that's two jobs in a year's time, that's super frustrating,” Geist said.
What frustrates him the most was finally having a specialist call him back last week, only to be an out-of-state Tier 1 specialist who couldn't do anything for him.
“It's like the government's paying him to pretty much tell you that there's nothing the government can do for you,” he told FOCUS investigator John Charlton. “He pretty much spilled the beans on everything. He pretty much sat on the phone all day to get yelled and cussed at by people who were rightfully frustrated.”
Geist forced to wait for relief while others wait for another letter from the department, a warning of another kind of loss.
A security breach of the online unemployment portal was also announced Thursday evening.
The state revealed that it came to their attention more than a month ago, even though it didn't become public May 28.
Officials say a filer alerted state unemployment that while uploading identification documents, he or she could also see other people's personal information uploaded.
The state says it was a glitch, not a hack.
“There has been no indication that there have been any additional incidents like this that have occurred since that day in April and nothing to indicate that there was an external infiltration of the system,” Josh Benton Deputy Secretary of the Dept. of Workforce Development.
The state believes the number of filers whose personal information may have been compromised is low.
They can expect to get a letter or email by next week as many still wait months for unemployment.
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