Charlotte residents see long waits, technical glitches with NC unemployment system
When Timothy Hildreth was laid off from his job last Friday as a cook at American Burger Company in uptown Charlotte, he applied for unemployment the next day.
After that, the computer system asked him to fill out the information for his weekly certification, which applicants need to complete to be considered for payment. But his application is still shown as pending.
He’s tried calling the unemployment office, but sat on hold and was never connected to anyone. Between calls and emails to staff, he’s followed up at least 10 times on his application.
On Tuesday, Hildreth will lose his health insurance. He’s facing substantial medical bills for physical therapy due to recent injuries.
Hildreth is one of more than 219,000 people in North Carolina who filed unemployment claims between March 16 and March 26, according to the latest figures from the state Department of Commerce’s Division of Employment Security.
Gov. Roy Cooper eased some unemployment restrictions last week to help with the economic blow of the coronavirus, such as the one-week waiting period and allowing some workers who have had their hours cut but have not been laid off to apply.
The state has received an “unprecedented” number of claims, said Larry Parker, a spokesman for the state Department of Commerce.
Other applicants report that they couldn’t get through to wait on hold, and were hung up on with an automatic message saying the system is too busy.
Parker said staff are working overtime and on weekends to answer calls, and the Department of Employment Security has posted 50 positions to try to hire additional help.
Applications pending
Daniel Asbury applied for unemployment on March 17, the day Cooper ordered a shutdown of restaurants and bars, including the Pineville brewery where Asbury worked.
But his application was still pending the last time he had looked. When he tried to log in on Thursday and Friday to check in on his application, he received an error message.
By law, the state gives an applicant’s last employer 10 days to respond before giving out any payment. Typically, the state said, individuals receive the money within about 14 days of filing.
Parker said the department’s staff has received reports about website issues, and is asking those who are having trouble to fill out the following customer contact form: https://des.nc.gov/customer-contact-form.
Andy Blake, who was recently laid off from his job as a brewer at Lenny Boy Brewing, applied for benefits this week.
Though he also is receiving an error message when trying to log in, he found the process to be relatively simple.
He was expecting to encounter some difficulties, since he had read about how many people were applying.
To file a claim, go to des.nc.gov.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 5:18 PM.
