Still Waiting on My Own Claim
I remember the exact moment when I first heard about the coronavirus—It was a few days after New Year’s. I was at work when my coworker asked if I had heard about the developing virus in Wuhan, China. I was working as a server at a local brewery and distillery so I was slightly worried because we frequently hosted large parties but I didn’t expect what would happen in the coming months.
I am a 28-year-old journalism student at UNR working nights and weekends to pay for my education and costs of living. On March 17, Governor Sisolak mandated all bars and restaurants in Nevada close for 30 days to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Unfortunately, it has been over a month and my initial unemployment claims are still pending because I am a student, who under different circumstances, cannot qualify for benefits.
The Cares Act waives the weekly work search requirement but Tamara’s UI home screen displays ‘issues delaying payment’ due to the specificities of being a student and a worker at the same time.
A Community’s Support
This is not a cry for help nor am I asking for pity—I simply want to share my experiences with others to reciprocate the same support I received from Reno/Sparks Mutual Aid Group on Facebook consisting of more than 4,000 community members. The group was originally created to share information about grocery stocks, unemployment challenges, face masks and other resources.
One of the group’s administrators Meghan Kathleen, recently made a post stating,“don’t expect too much of yourself while we’re all surviving a collective trauma.”
The tied-up phone lines are among the biggest complaints from people trying to file for UI in response to COVID-19. The Nevada UI Office has extended its hours open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday yet many people still struggle to make contact with any available representatives. I’ve heard stories of people trying to call over 200 times per day or the phone line disconnects after being on hold for an hour.
Tamara’s call log on the morning of April 21st showing failed attempts at reaching three different Nevada UI phone numbers. “It’s extremely frustrating if that’s the first thing you hear in the morning, day after day with no answers.”
A Voice of Reason Amid a Cloud of Frustration
Steve Zuelke worked over a quarter century for the Nevada ESD and actively offers advice on the Reno/Sparks Mutual Aid Group suggesting actions people may want to follow. In an interview on Monday, April 13th, Zuelke elaborated further into how the system typically functions, and how best to deal with it in these times of upheaval.
“The unemployment claim system is typically operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except when it is down for maintenance. I would recommend that they leverage off hours filing claims and records via the internet very late at night and very early in the morning. If they do so they will face less competition for available resources,” said Zuelke.
Zuelke did not have any advice for the phone lines and could not comment specifically about the need for more UI workers as he is now retired but mentioned the self-serve system was designed for a minimal amount of interaction.
The Nevada UI website has repeatedly been down for maintenance due to the mass influx of claims.
A Complicated System with No Room for Mistakes
Zuelke expressed the dangers of misinformation to those filing for benefits during difficult times using an analogy to best explain why he attempts to point people in the right direction.
“I could not simply for lack of a better term, a retired firefighter, sit around and watch my neighbor’s house burn down if there was something I could do about it,” said Zuelke.
He said unfortunately any mistake a user makes during the filing process can be damaging as very few people have been trained on the technical language to understand how UI works exactly.
“What has happened in this event is very similar to what happened in the toilet paper aisles, everyone needed it at once,” he said, making another analogy.
Zuelke personally believes it’s too early to tell if this recession can be compared to the Great Recession differentiating COVID-19 as systematic and to be determined by what the public and businesses do once the crisis is over.
Steve Zuelke (right) received his Certified Public Manager designation by former Governor Kenny Guinn and Director of Health and Human Services, Mike Wheldon.
A Newsletter with Some Hope
The Governor’s office is working in partnership with the Nevada Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation to deliver a weekly newsletter with information on recent UI developments. It contains hope for more relief.
For example, Gov. Sisolak recently announced the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) plan amounting to $600 to be disbursed to all eligible claimants into their accounts directly.
The newsletter additionally contained a newly established help-line (800) 603-9671 to better assist people filing new claims— but it cannot provide information on existing claims, leaving us many still at square one, and still only hoping for some of this money we are being promised, but which we just get into our accounts at this crucial time.