Struggling to apply for unemployment? Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker asks for patience
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The same day she lost her bartending job last week, Erin Matzenbacher tried to submit her application for Illinois unemployment benefits. She got a red error message.
It was the same one she’s gotten every day since.
“The first day, I filled out everything to create an account. Then a red message comes up at the top saying for whatever reason they can’t submit the request at this time,” Matzenbacher said.
Matzenbacher, 32, lost her job at a restaurant in Waterloo after Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered all restaurants and bars to cease dine-in services to slow the spread of coronavirus.
She’s not the only one experiencing frustrating technical difficulties and hours on the phone trying to reach someone at the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Matzenbacher says she has tried unsuccessfully multiple times every day since she was laid off on March 17 to apply online or talk to someone.
“You go through the motions, press all the buttons and then it says, ‘We’re experiencing an extremely high call volume,’ and it hangs up on you,” Matzenbacher said. “Almost a week later, here we are.”
If she could submit her application, Matzenbacher would join roughly 134,000 Illinoisans who have sought benefits in March — five times the number of applications during the same period last year — and one of 3.3 million nationwide. Just this week, the state received nearly 115,000 claims.
The governor asked for patience in a news conference Wednesday, two weeks after he announced expanded benefits for workers affected by pandemic restrictions.
“This has been an unprecedented number of people who are applying at the same time,” Pritzker said. “Hang with us here. We’re going to make changes that will make it better. But it is true, it’s not working the way that I want it to.”
That’s a difficult message for Matzenbacher, who says she’s living on a small amount of savings to buy groceries and pay the bills for herself and her 10-year-old daughter.
“All these rich guys are saying, ‘Be patient,’ and here we are just worried,” Matzenbacher said. “I don’t know what’s to come and I don’t know how long this is going to last. It would be nice to have a little bit of relief knowing that my unemployment (application) is filled out.”
The state information technology department is working to improve the online application system to handle the massive volume, Pritzker said. Applying will be easier outside of regular business hours when there are fewer people using the site, he added. But the governor couldn’t guarantee it would “be easy,” especially during busy times.
A news release Thursday from the employment security department said the agency has taken steps to speed up its response, with technical improvements, expanded call center hours and additional staffing.
The department announced a schedule for callers and online applicants to even out traffic.
Online filing schedule:
- Those with last names beginning with letters A-M will be asked to file their claims on Sundays, Tuesdays or Thursdays.
- Last names beginning with letters N-Z should file Mondays, Wednesday or Fridays.
- Saturdays will be available for anyone who could not file during their window.
Call filing:
- Last names beginning with letters A-M should call Tuesdays and Thursdays between 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Last names beginning with letters N-Z, Mondays and Wednesdays between 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Fridays from 7:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. will be available for anyone who could not call during their window.
Coronavirus stimulus package
Relief could come from a $2 trillion federal stimulus package nearing approval in Congress. If approved in the U.S. House and signed by President Donald Trump, adults could receive direct payments of $1,200 each plus $500 per child. But it could take weeks for the money to appear in bank accounts even if the House approves the bill on Friday as expected.
Brittany Jansen, a 23-year-old automotive title clerk from Carlyle, says the money would help her and her new husband get through April. Both lost their jobs last week.
“With both me and my husband missing checks, it’s going to be hard,” Jansen said.
While Jansen’s husband successfully submitted his application, Jansen said she hit the same technical roadblock as Matzenbacher. She has called 52 times since she was laid off Friday.
For now, the couple expects to receive some help from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, and they hope the federal stimulus and state unemployment payments will come through as soon as possible.
“Luckily my husband’s grandma was worried that all this was going to happen so she bought us a bunch of food, so we’re stocked up,” Jansen said. “But I’ve been having constant panic attacks, like, what are we going to do?”
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 3:23 PM.
