Kansas’ 43-year-old mainframe computer can’t keep up with today’s unemployment claims
The state of Kansas is relying in part on a 43-year-old mainframe computer to process tens of thousands of coronavirus unemployment claims.
No, the state’s ancient digital hardware isn’t completely responsible for the crushing delays in processing some of those claims. Confusion, fear, a shortage of trained workers and a lack of guidance from Washington have also contributed to unacceptable delays in getting cash to people who desperately need it.
But using a 1977 computer for 2020 unemployment payments should anger every Kansan because it reveals a stark truth: Lawmakers and governors in both parties have left the state’s safety net full of gaping holes, through which thousands of Kansans are now falling.
One couple told us they called the Kansas unemployment office 194 times during a three-day span before talking to a real person. Their claim remains unresolved.
“What are we supposed to do if we have to call unemployment and every line is busy for the last two weeks?” asked one person on Twitter. “I was laid off and NEED to call to get my application started due to my situation,” another said.
Some filers say the website tells them to call the office, only to have the office say they should file online. The loop is infuriating.
Kansas Department of Labor officials concede problems with passwords and user names on the state’s unemployment website. Eligibility remains a confusing mess for many claimants. That $600 a week from the federal stimulus bill? Not a dime has gone to unemployed Kansans yet, and officials can’t provide an estimate on when it will be available.
To their credit, state officials understand the COVID-19 crisis facing terrified Kansans who are contending with layoffs and struggling with mortgages, rents, bills and hunger. “We know the impact on everyday folks,” said Brett Flachsbarth, Kansas’ deputy Secretary of Labor. He and other state officials say they’re aggressively adding staff, updating computers and phones and pushing for more information from the feds.
Many claims officials are working from home, the department says, complicating the technology challenge. Changes to state law must be factored in. Calls increased 1,250% in one week.
“We know the system is overwhelmed right now. We know it’s frustrating,” said Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly in an email. “Now more than ever we must be patient and support one another.”
In March, Kelly signed an executive order banning foreclosures and evictions until the end of April, which is helpful. But it is not as helpful as cash, which must be provided to claimants as quickly as possible.
Kansas must get the cash out the door. Higher-than-normal errors are acceptable during this emergency.
Benefits must be retroactive (on Tuesday, a department spokesperson said they’re working on this). The $600 federal supplement should be in claimants’ hands by the week of April 20 at the very latest. Kansas must work harder to accelerate training and hiring of unemployment officials.
Eligibility rules must be broadly interpreted. The claims website confuses some workers and should be simplified. Every effort must be made to pay claims quickly and seamlessly.
Then Kansas must begin work on overhauling its unemployment filing system. It’s appalling that Kansans are relying on 1970s technology (even with updates) in the 21st century.
Unemployment insurance isn’t a handout. It’s just like health insurance, or car insurance, or life insurance — workers have a right to payments when they lose work through no fault of their own.
State officials are working hard to meet the demand and deserve credit for that. Thousands of new claims have been accepted, and cash should reach those workers soon.
But Kansas can’t relax until every worker gets the help he or she has earned. Protecting the state’s health is still job one, but easing the economic crisis is close behind.